The Security Risks of Climate Change Displacement in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is often depicted as the epicentre of the migration/security nexus, with tens of millions of ‘climate refugees’ potentially inducing ‘climate wars’ in the alarmist scenario. This article interrogates whether, and to what extent, climate change-related movement in Bangladesh may give rise to three commonly suggested security risks: transnational security risks in relation to neighbouring countries; and domestic security risks of radicalisation and social conflict over resources. This article is a modest effort to ground consideration of the links between climate change displacement and security threats in a concrete case study. In doing so, it aims to test the prevailing assumptions in the literature against social realities on the ground, acknowledging security risks where they exist, and deflating those that are overblown.