Paper short abstract:

A discussion of local climate change knowledge in NE Bangladesh and possible community adaptation options, drawing on the findings of a household survey and contrasting with national level policy debates and associated political constraints.

Paper long abstract:

If climate change impacts are of the order some forecast, Bangladesh is at particular risk, notably to sea level rises and catastrophic flooding -- situated on one of the world's largest deltas -- together with cyclones and drought. The threats have prompted a national policy debate about strategies to meet the challenges but limited actions. Local perceptions of climate-cum-environmental changes hardly feature, although these will inform people's responses to national strategies and local communities are likely to be largely liable for adaptation actions too. We discuss a survey conducted in the Hakaluki hoar (large lake system) region to assess local knowledge of climate change and capability to cope with predicted impacts. Although largely unaware of the debate itself, people have observed considerable changes in their region's weather patterns, with flash floods, for instance, and also the natural environment, with changes in lake flora and fauna. Regarding possible community coping strategies that draw on local resources and ingenuity, responses are markedly limited, possibly irrelevant, referring to the wrath of nature and praying for help, maybe even staging a 'frog marriage'. However inadequate they may seem, local adaptation options should figure in any reckoning because effective interventions need to jive with residents' experiences and ways, as negative outcomes of the 'Flood Action Plan' illustrate. These are equally political as environmental issues, as the survey responses indicate with a substantial number referring to political problems with respect to coping strategies, not natural changes, which poses some awkward questions for those in power.