Entrepreneurial Strategies to Address Rural-Urban Climate-Induced Vulnerabilities: Assessing Adaptation and Innovation Measures in Dhaka, Bangladesh
1
Centre for Development and the Environment, University of Oslo, 0484 Oslo, Norway
2
Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), 0186 Oslo, Norway
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2020, 12(21), 9115; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12219115
Received: 31 August 2020 / Revised: 16 October 2020 / Accepted: 26 October 2020 / Published: 2 November 2020
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Catastrophes)
Climate change amplifies social, political, economic, infrastructural and environmental challenges in many Global South cities, and perhaps no city is more vulnerable than Bangladesh’s capital of Dhaka. Climate-induced rural–urban migration is a profound concern, and Dhaka’s political leaders have embraced technology-based innovation as one solution pathway. This article explores the societal impact of Dhaka’s innovation environment strategies for climate change adaptation and mitigation. Employing a case study qualitative methodology, our three findings expand knowledge about innovation for urban climate adaptation and mitigation as understood by Dhaka-based entrepreneurs. First, the most effective innovations were not the most technologically advanced, but those with the highest degree of participant ownership. Second, gaps between recipient, corporate and governmental understandings of effective mitigation and adaptation harmed projects were driven by different definitions of risk and competing understandings of vulnerability. Third, even the most technical climate adaptation measures were inherently political in their application. We discuss how to better position urban climate innovation infrastructures in Bangladesh and beyond, including developing a better recognition of innovation lifecycles for urban climate adaptation and widening our definitions of “innovation” to better incorporate more effective and inclusive climate adaptation solutions.
View Full-Text
Keywords:
climate change; innovation; Bangladesh; adaptation strategies; politicization of technology; Dhaka; urban climate solutions; informal settlements
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
MDPI and ACS Style
Miklian, J.; Hoelscher, K. Entrepreneurial Strategies to Address Rural-Urban Climate-Induced Vulnerabilities: Assessing Adaptation and Innovation Measures in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Sustainability 2020, 12, 9115.
AMA Style
Miklian J, Hoelscher K. Entrepreneurial Strategies to Address Rural-Urban Climate-Induced Vulnerabilities: Assessing Adaptation and Innovation Measures in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Sustainability. 2020; 12(21):9115.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMiklian, Jason; Hoelscher, Kristian. 2020. "Entrepreneurial Strategies to Address Rural-Urban Climate-Induced Vulnerabilities: Assessing Adaptation and Innovation Measures in Dhaka, Bangladesh" Sustainability 12, no. 21: 9115.
Find Other Styles
Note that from the first issue of 2016, MDPI journals use article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.
Search more from Scilit