Eco-feminist approaches to Climate Change Policies and Legislations: Bangladesh in Context

Bangladesh is amongst one of the most climate vulnerable countries today and it is predicted to become more exposed to the impacts of climate change in near future. It is predicted that the rise of sea level caused by climate change will subsume up to 13% of Bangladesh’s coastal land by 2080. Studies are suggestive of the fact that the disadvantaged groups of the population, specifically women, will suffer the most. This study focuses on the vulnerabilities of rural women of Bangladesh who are regarded as the most marginalised group in Bangladesh as they are double marginalised due to the
impacts of climate change. This study reveals that, the Constitution provides for equal rights of women and promotes participation of women in all spheres of life but the practical realities do not reflect the same due to the patriarchal structure of the society. The policy measures and legal frameworks of the land fail to address the participation of women in the decision making process. The policy documents regard women as victims of climate change not as active participants in the adaptation process. Hence as a potential measure to eradicate the on-going process of oppression, discrimination and exclusion of women, this study proposes the use of ecofeminism in concerned national laws and policies so that the proper implementation of the relevant appropriate attributes of ecofeminism can assist in mitigating the existing shortcomings of those policy papers and legal documents.