Ageing Population, Climate Vulnerability and Social Protection: Perspective of Bangladesh Coastal Zones
Bangladesh has historically been identified as one of the most climate-vulnerable nations in the world due to its geographical position in the low-lying deltas of South Asia and its deeply embedded socio-economic structure to natural resources. Coastal areas are the epicentre of the environmental and socio-economic stress impacting Bangladesh's ageing population, as conditions push them increasingly at risk from climate-related impacts. For instance, sea level rise and saline intrusion impact land and water resources and threaten the health and resilience of vulnerable older adults, as they may have less mobility, poor health, and limited adaptive capacities. As the population in Bangladesh becomes older, it becomes crucial to understand its older adults' peculiar vulnerabilities and adaptation mechanisms.
One of the most acute cases of climate vulnerability globally continues to be found in Bangladesh, most evidently in the coastal region of Khulna, Satkhira and Bagerhat districts, where rising sea levels and saline intrusion frequently occur. Although these efforts display notable success, the risk of these marginalised groups (i.e., older adults) has been overlooked in adaptation strategies. Despite many adaptation interventions at the community level, there is a dearth of studies on adaptation initiatives focused on older adults in coastal communities of Bangladesh. They are particularly vulnerable in disaster contexts, such as movement ability constraints, higher prevalence of chronic health conditions, and dependence on social networks.
Over the past few years, research on resilience strategies for older adults has grown in examining individual and community-driven adaptive responses to climate challenges. In response to environmental hazards, many older adults know, some have learned, and most can learn how to draw upon traditional knowledge, community bonds, and personal resilience. Similarly, for Bangladesh's rural and coastal communities, older adults rely on familial support, community bonds, and traditional knowledge to mitigate climate harm. However, as 'environmental risks' become more acute, these mechanisms are being stretched further.
Over the past decades, the Government of Bangladesh and a range of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have invested in helping vulnerable groups in the coastal areas, including older adults. Government social safety programmes, especially pensions, subsidies, and food assistance, are essential initiatives to support low-income older adults financially. Critical economic assistance to older adults living in poverty is provided through programmes such as the Old Age Allowance, which was started in 1998, enabling them to afford necessities such as food and clothing.
Safety nets extended through government efforts often lack the flexibility to address the needs triggered by climate change. For example, the Old Age Allowance provides financial assistance but fails to account for the need for climate-resilient housing, disaster-directed medical aid or transportation during evacuations. Mainly, the government's climate adaptation initiatives are based on significant infrastructure community investments like embankments and cyclone shelters, as opposed to investments in older adults' specific needs with mobility or specialised healthcare in emergencies.
Support for older adults living in climate-vulnerable areas has also been central to the work of NGOs. BRAC, HelpAge International and the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) have been working on developing their community-based adaptation programmes for marginal groups. However, studies show that such programmes have been relatively limited in scale and scope, especially in remote coastal regions where resources are scarce and logistical hurdles prevent service delivery.
These older adults are characterised by profound physical, economic, and social vulnerabilities that greatly exacerbate their risks, given their need to rely exclusively on limited resources to reconstruct their lives when recurring climate disasters like floods and cyclones occur. Most of the physical vulnerabilities spring from the fact that aged people move much less and tend to become ill chronically. Many participants indicated that older adults had trouble evacuating quickly and getting to safe shelters, and in cases where an individual was disabled or had mobility impairments and relied on others for transportation, the move could prove problematic. Limited medical support and the area being some of the most remote lands in Australia meant that many reported worsening their health conditions during and after climate events.
Older adults are economically hard hit, often with no regular income or savings. Furthermore, the recurring cycles of climate calamity make the economic strain even worse, destroying houses and fields repeatedly. Many older adults rely on family or social safety nets to survive since the inadequately small Old Age Allowance or disability benefits cannot cover basic needs, much less rebuild post-disaster. Due to financial insecurity, their vulnerability is accentuated by an inability to invest in adaptive measures.
Older adults become socially isolated because of weakened family ties and reduced involvement with their local support networks, which have always been important in their lives. Some participants mentioned they would become isolated since their younger relatives migrated to the cities for employment, to be closer to jobs. Limited access to information, resources, and emotional support makes social isolation this much more deadly during crises. Community networks do exist. However, their capacity to assist with large-scale disasters is often stretched to its limit.
Many people were willing to prepare small emergency kits with food, clothing, and other things unrelated to the workplace because they were ready to do things immediately. It's an approach of generational knowledge built up over generations of coping with floods and cyclones, having taught many how best to protect their houses using makeshift barriers like sandbags or plinths. Herbal remedies, something traditional instead of lacking formal health care, are also utilised in managing health challenges during climate events. The adaptation efforts of older adults are centrally dependent upon family, community, and local institutions. Family members provide both financial and evacuation support when possible.
Psychological and social factors significantly influence the resilience of older people in Shyamnagar. Spiritual or communal practices are often a way to bolster one's psychological resilience or ability to maintain mental well-being in the face of stressors. The sentimental value of religious faith had assisted them in locating stability and quality in troublesome seasons of life. Mosques are a place for collective prayer and as coping mechanisms to help replenish physical, spiritual, and emotional reserves and contribute to resilience preservation among refugee and migrant women.
The presence and limitations of formal support systems, such as government or NGO interventions, were also revealed when addressing older adults' needs in the face of climate challenges. Some relief comes from government programmes, such as the Old Age Allowance and periodic emergency relief distribution. While it is not adequate to meet the needs of older adults in general, accessibility and timely distribution are critical issues during adverse climate events.
While NGOs are essential in providing post-disaster aid, their sporadic presence limits continuity in resilience-building. Therefore, the policy should shift towards creating synergistic partnerships between the government and NGOs, where NGOs supplement government initiatives by providing specialised support such as mobile healthcare and mental health counselling tailored for older adults. Expanding the local government's capacity through training and resource allocation for emergency response, particularly in climate-prone areas, is equally critical. As identified, older adults are often hindered by a lack of access to accurate information on available resources; hence, policy should prioritise establishing accessible, dedicated communication channels for older adults, possibly using community-based focal points or digital tools.
Traditional resilience frameworks fall short in addressing age-specific adaptation strategies. For older adults, resilience is closely linked to psychological and social factors, which play a more significant role than physical resilience alone. Community solidarity and informal support systems have emerged as primary sources of resilience, yet frequent climate events overtax them. As such, resilience-building frameworks for coastal regions in Bangladesh should incorporate social-ecological resilience principles, emphasising ecosystem-based adaptation that includes accessible health services and mental health support.
Climate events add to the recurrence of trauma and emotional stress that older adults experience and increase their vulnerability. As a future policy practice, administrators can draw on this research to institute counselling services and peer support groups for older adults as a standard part of disaster response. Services can be delivered with the support of local religious institutions or community leaders to enable older adults to regain emotional resilience through contact with familiar social contexts.
Building resilience to ageing in coastal Bangladesh necessitates filling structural gaps in support systems and reorienting policies to underpin sustained adaptive capacity. It indicates a systemic policy design gap in government and NGO responses, which has left the gaps in shelters and health go unaddressed and age-specific. Instituting mobile clinics may constitute an important way to undertake critical adaptations, and financial support mechanisms documented to account for the cyclical nature of climate events should be created.
A paradigmatic shift in resilience policy is needed. As Bangladesh's coastal regions face increasing climate threats, this age-centred approach will be critical to maintaining the adaptive capacity of older adults. These focused interventions are necessary, without which the resilience of this vulnerable population will remain undermined. We could establish dedicated shelters equivalent to at-risk areas, with medical supplies and trained personnel ready to protect us against natural disasters. Since older adults have health and mobility constraints, integrating climate resilience into healthcare services is necessary to ensure continuing service. Emergency medication supplies and personalised evacuation assistance plans for those most at risk could be part of routine health check-ups at local clinics with climate-related health risks in mind.
An age-inclusive communication system needs to be developed to improve the reach of emergency information. This would include disaster preparedness guides tailored to each person—social workers, community volunteers, local leaders—with information on resources, routes and protocols shared with them. In addition, creating community-based volunteer programmes, which empower young adults to assist older community members in a crisis, effectively evacuate and immediately access the essentials of survival, emphasises an intergenerational approach to resilience.
NGOs give crucial relief and recovery support in their absence, but they need to adopt more directly appropriate strategies for older adults. NGOs can, therefore, ensure timely assistance after disasters by expanding mobile health and psychological support services. Examples of psychological support include individual counselling or group sessions with older adults to assist them in dealing with the trauma and disorientation that usually ensue after catastrophic events. NGOs could institute mobile outreach by bringing resources to those who cannot travel to central distribution centres because of isolation and limited mobility.
For the sake of national policymakers, this must be institutionalised through regular monitoring and evaluation. The effectiveness of various resilience-building activities will be tracked over time and across different communities, using feedback loops from older adults and community leaders to refine and scale up support. Creating rapid response emergency assistance funds for immediate post-disaster aid can quickly ease the financial burden on older adults, paying for things such as housing repairs, food, and healthcare bills and faster recovery of a trajectory.
This analysis shows a clear need for targeted resilience strategies for older adults within broader climate adaptation frameworks. Integrating age-sensitive policies in climate resilience planning would limit the immediate and long-term challenges of older adults and support Bangladeshi coastal social and economic stability. Once resources, infrastructure, and policy innovations are prioritised and aligned with older adults' distinctive needs, local and national authorities can ensure a better, more equal and more effective response.
By Professor Dr Mohammad Tarikul Islam, Visiting Scientist, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, and Visiting Professor at Oxford, Cambridge, and Harvard.