ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY IN THE CONTEXT OF BANGLADESH

This article assesses the evolving concept of environmental security through the lens of Bangladesh’s acute vulnerabilities to natural hazards, climate variability, and transboundary river management. It reviews how floods, cyclones, and salinity intrusion create cascading risks for food security, livelihoods, and governance. The analysis situates these dynamics within global debates, tracing how “environmental security” has shifted from a narrow military framing to a multidimensional agenda encompassing human security and sustainable development. The paper highlights institutional fragmentation between ministries, weak enforcement of environmental laws, and the need for stronger integration of disaster management with long-term development planning. It concludes that environmental security for Bangladesh is not an abstract theory but a survival imperative, demanding investment in resilience, community preparedness, and regional cooperation.

The body of the paper is organised into five sections. Section One traces the intellectual genealogy of environmental security and its adaptation into South Asian policy discourse. Section Two presents empirical evidence of Bangladesh’s hazard exposure, quantifying losses from cyclones, river erosion, and salinity. Section Three examines institutional frameworks—the Ministry of Environment and Forests, disaster management agencies, and NGOs—highlighting overlaps and gaps. Section Four analyses regional and global dimensions, including Ganges–Brahmaputra water sharing and climate change negotiations, with special attention to equity and finance. Section Five provides policy recommendations: mainstreaming resilience into planning, enhancing early-warning dissemination, diversifying livelihoods, and forging cooperative water governance. The conclusion argues that Bangladesh is a litmus test for making environmental security operational, demonstrating how ecological risks intersect with poverty, governance, and geopolitics.