Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book analyses the impacts of climate change on the livelihoods of women in the disaster vulnerable coastal areas of Bangladesh. It discusses the concept of vulnerability in the context of climate change, and presents a Disaster Crunch Model (DCM) that helps to assess vulnerability. The book also presents the geographical and socio-economic setting of the study area, and how the livelihoods of people in this rural area are connected to serious climate change effects. It describes the livelihoods of women in the study area following Sustainable Livelihood Framework SLF approach. The book provides the key vulnerabilities of women's livelihoods in the context of climate change. It explains how different climate change events affect the livelihoods of women and their coping mechanism. The book examines women's positions in respect to their access to major welfare facilities that can potentially help reduce their climate-induced vulnerabilities.