Climate, (in)security and violence in Bangladesh: Climate impacts and conflict risks in coastal Hatiya

This research explores the relationship between climate change and conflict through an ethnographic study of Hatiya Island, Bangladesh, one of the country’s most climate-vulnerable regions. Rather than assuming a direct causal link between climate stress and violent conflict, the study foregrounds the voices of islanders, asking how climate impacts and everyday insecurities shape conflict dynamics. Findings reveal that conflict on Hatiya is patterned and context-specific: fishers face coercion through debt and fishing bans, women experience heightened domestic tensions, and communities often respond with resignation rather than collective mobilization. Although grievances accumulate, structural barriers such as elite control, political patronage, and governance failures suppress protest or organized resistance. The study demonstrates that climate stress alone does not explain conflict; instead, deep-rooted political–economic exclusion and governance failures determine outcomes. By centering on lived experiences, the research contributes micro-level evidence to broader debates on climate and conflict and underscores the need for conflict-sensitive adaptation strategies.