Climate Change and Mobility

Bangladesh is among the countries most severely exposed to climate change, facing intensifying floods, cyclones, and droughts that threaten livelihoods and recovery. At the same time, it is the world’s eighth-largest remittance-receiving country (2020), where millions of migrant workers send money home to support their families. These remittances transferred by migrants now exceed Official Development Aid (ODA) and foreign direct investment, providing a critical safety net in places where formal welfare systems are weak.

Using national survey data linked with satellite-based climate records, my research examines whether remittances from migrant workers help households manage climate risks by extending their access to resources beyond the areas directly affected by floods or droughts. By analyzing how these long-distance financial connections buffer families from spatially correlated environmental and economic risks, this work reveals how mobility can expand the spatial reach of adaptation in one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries. 

Another part of this research investigates how remittances influence household decisions to stay or move when facing floods. Analysis of national survey data shows that money sent home by migrants can serve as a flexible resource, enabling some families to relocate when flood risks intensify while helping others adapt locally by investing in safer housing, diversified crops, or land purchases. In this way, migration and in-place adaptation are interconnected through remittance flows, as the movement of people in one place supports the capacity of others to endure environmental pressure at home.

Collaborators: Anne Pisor, Kyle Aune, Mook Bangalore, SM Manzoor Ahmed Hanifi, Azmery Hera