Introduction to Environmental Security in Bangladesh

Bangladesh has made tremendous strides in improving the quality of life of its citizens in the past forty years, but it remains one of the globe¿s most challenged states. This country struggles with poverty, dysfunctional governance capacity, and political instability. Bangladesh also faces a formidable array of environmental challenges. Large portions of the country are flooded every year and tropical storms whip the coastline, inundating large areas of the low-lying coast. Bangladesh urgently needs a new generation of trained professionals who are aware of the multi-faceted and inter-connected environmental security challenges facing the country, to work at all levels of society to build capacity and alleviate the social consequences of environmental insecurities, including possible violent and non-violent conflicts caused in part by Bangladesh¿s environmental challenges.