Md. Shahidul Islam, Md. Jahirul Islam, Mohammad Mahbubul Alam Talukder, Md. Farid Ahmed and Md. Mansurul Haque
Climate Change Induced (CCI) calamities have immense negative impacts on coastal fishers’ livelihoods by damaging their household and fishery-related assets, which triggers cyclic poverty among them. This study aimed to identify household level economic penalties due to CCI calamities among the coastal fishers of Bangladesh. A cross sectional study was conducted among 338 coastal fishers living in 11 coastal districts using a random sampling technique. Males outnumbered females (84.6% vs. 15.4%), with nearly all (99.1%) living below the poverty line. On average, coastal fishers had to struggle against at least three (3.12 ± 1.28) CCI catastrophes with considerable losses per incidence {Domestic Asset Loss (DAL): 38318 ± 33071; Loss in Fisheries (LIF): 19236 ± 20486} within the past five years. CCI incidences such as Severity of Disaster (SoD), Longevity of Disaster (LoD), Winter Cold Shock (WCS), and water flow were significantly associated with DAL (95% C.I., p<0.05). Similarly, SoD, WCS, water flow, and Sea Waves during Storms (SWDS) were also significantly associated with the impoverished status of coastal fishers in Bangladesh. Climate-resilient coastal management and livelihood improvement policies implemented by the relevant authorities could reduce impending economic penalties for coastal fishing communities.