Giving children a voice on climate change
Learning about climate change in Bangladesh
Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change in the world. Save the Children is strengthening community resilience to climate change in Bangladesh by listening to young people. We’re directly supporting them and their communities to adapt to the impacts of climate change and contribute to the solutions.
Why child-centred climate change adaptation is important
Comprised of low-lying land, flood plains and dense urban settlements, Bangladesh is hit hard by the impacts of climate change. The majority of Bangladeshi people rely on agriculture to survive – one of the industries most affected by changes to the environment – and a booming population has seen the growth of informal settlements in some of the most disaster-prone parts of the country.
Climate-related disasters disproportionately impact children, yet their voices are excluded from important decision making on climate change response. Children are seen as passive victims when, in fact, they often have the knowledge to contribute to change.
With chronic climate impacts, including rising sea levels and increasing heat waves, combined with increasing disasters, such as cyclones and floods, we need to ensure children and their families have access to the best adaptation tools, practices and methods to help face an unstable future.
Save the Children's Child-Centred Climate Change Adaptation program
We’re building a more resilient population by supporting children, caregivers and communities to anticipate, plan and adapt to climate change impacts. We are also working closely with local government officials to strengthen their understanding of climate change and support them to deliver projects that help communities adapt.
We listen to needs identified by children and young people – girls, boys and children living with disabilities – so we can create the best adaptation measures at a local level and share these throughout the region. We’re also supporting them to design their own climate change adaptation activities and to seek out technical advice and funding to bring their ideas to fruition.