By Dr. Tuhin Roy, Professor, Sociology Discipline; and Md. Fajlay Rabbi, Assistant Professor, Education Discipline (Former Institute of Education & Research); Khulna University, Khulna, Bangladesh

Abstract

Bangladesh’s coastal communities face a critical intersection of climate-induced heat stress and pre-existing social inequalities. Despite contributing only 0.3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, Bangladesh ranks ninth on the 2024 World Risk Index for climate vulnerability. This study examines how social inequalities shape heat stress vulnerability through a sociological lens, analysing differential impacts across gender, class, and age lines.

Methods

A qualitative research approach employing interpretive sociology and critical ethnography was conducted over 18 months (2023-2024) across two coastal districts: Satkhira and Khulna. Data collection included participant observation, 45 semi-structured interviews, six focus group discussions, and 20 key informant interviews.

Key Findings

Heat stress experiences vary dramatically by social position, creating “two different seasons in the same place” – one for those with adaptive options and another for those without. Annual losses per person due to heat stress average 30,000 BDT, representing a significant burden on families already struggling with poverty.

Gender Vulnerabilities: Women face particular challenges due to cultural mobility restrictions and household responsibilities. Traditional roles in water collection become dangerous during extreme heat, while cultural norms around clothing and public behaviour limit cooling strategies available to men.

Socioeconomic Disparities: Wealthier households access air conditioning and improved housing, while low-income families live in poorly ventilated homes and work in outdoor occupations. Although 42% of respondents live in brick homes, few incorporate heat-resilient features like insulation or rooftop gardens.

Occupational Impacts: Outdoor workers face an impossible choice between economic survival and heat safety. Analysis suggests a 46% decline in labour supply and productivity under 3°C warming, with workers becoming dehydrated quickly and experiencing heat stroke, fatigue, and cramps.

Environmental Compounding: Coastal communities face “chapachapi” – being pressed from all sides by interconnected challenges including salinity intrusion, erosion, waterlogging, and extreme heat. These factors interact to create complex vulnerability patterns.

Social Transformation Required

Traditional cooling strategies prove inadequate under unprecedented heat levels, forcing changes in cultural practices and social relationships. Community solidarity can either strengthen or weaken during heat events, depending on resource availability and collective organisation.

Conclusions

Heat stress in coastal Bangladesh cannot be understood solely through environmental or technical lenses but requires addressing underlying social inequalities that amplify climate vulnerability. The communities least responsible for climate change bear its greatest burdens. Effective responses must address power imbalances, challenge discriminatory norms, and ensure equity-centred adaptation planning with meaningful community participation and gender-responsive interventions.

Climate change represents a fundamental social justice issue. Heat stress adaptation requires not just better cooling technologies, but social transformation addressing the inequalities that amplify climate impacts on Bangladesh’s most vulnerable coastal populations.

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