Urban livelihoods in an era of climate change: the limitations to household adaptation in Dhaka, Bangladesh

The threats posed by climate change in Dhaka city and their implications for the livelihoods of the urban poor speaks to the urgency of a better understanding of household livelihoods and of whether and how low-income urban households can make successful adaptations to the increased economic, social and health vulnerabilities that they will face. In-depth research across four low-income communities across Dhaka highlights the coping strategies available to the urban poor in the face of climate change, which affects them primarily in the form of increased heat stress and rainfall. Both extremes create difficulties in working lives and magnify the health insecurities of the urban poor. Crucial, however, is recognition of the limitations of the strategies available to them. Endemic insecurity means that low-income urban households are ill-equipped for household stability throughout the year, leaving them with little room for manoeuvre for coping or adapting during extreme weather events and periods. The paper finishes by highlighting the dangers of taking a narrow and depoliticised focus on the household, its assets and its livelihoods strategies, as this overlooks the broader community- and city-wide structural constraints that limit household agency and the opportunities for livelihoods diversification, adaptation and improvement available to them. Focusing on climate change adaptation to improve livelihoods security for the urban poor may highlight the increased urgency of taking measures to assist them, but simultaneously, such a focus on livelihoods may overlook some of the key drivers of their poverty and the key constraints households face to overcoming it.