Rising Tides
Disaster Management Perspectives from India and Bangladesh
In this Asia Insight podcast, Tom Lutken speaks about disaster management in South Asia with Pushp Bajaj of India’s National Maritime Foundation and Mohammad Hasan of the Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh. As climate change and vulnerable populations create a perfect storm for natural disasters in South Asia, both experts highlight the challenges of today and the best path forward for the region to overcome the challenges of tomorrow.
Pushp Bajaj is a Research Fellow and the Head of the Blue Economy and Climate Change Cluster at the National Maritime Foundation in New Delhi, India. His research areas of interest include climate change impacts on India’s maritime and naval security, climate resilience of India’s critical maritime infrastructure, sustainability in the maritime domain, and the Blue Economy.
Mohammad Mahmodul Hasan has worked at the Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh since 2019 as the coordinator for the Climate Change Program. He has participated in multiple UN Climate Change conferences, with his professional work centering on climate change, community resilience, social mobilization, and sustainable development.
Thomas Lutken is a Project Manager with the Energy and Environmental Affairs group at NBR. In this role, he helps manage NBR’s ongoing projects on environmental policy, economic development, and energy security. Mr. Lutken earned a master’s degree in environmental management from Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment in 2019, with a thesis an economic study of the impacts of electricity quality in rural India. His interests include climate change, alternative energy, and electricity policy.
Timestamps
1:43 How can we better account for changing climate-related baselines when planning for disasters over the coming decades as the world becomes a warmer place?
9:27 Are there examples of international aid not aligning with the affected regions’ cultures and religious norms, and if so, how can we aim to mitigate such gaps that come about with international efforts in disaster response and management?
19:44 How has COVID-19 changed traditional forms of disaster management, preparedness, and response? In your opinion, how will it alter the disaster management landscape going forward?rd?
28:56 In South Asia as we discussed, many of the most pressing disasters have been exacerbated by a warming climate. How in your opinion can collaboration between or within countries, cities, and states help to avert disasters while also helping to address some of these overarching problems like climate change?
About Asia Insight
The NBR podcast series Asia Insight features interviews with top Asia experts about key issues affecting the Indo-Pacific region, with a focus on implications for U.S. policy and businesses. Subscribe to Asia Insight on Podbean and Apple Podcasts and let us know what you think of the podcast on Twitter.
Media Contact: [email protected] or (202) 347-9767.
Asia Insight theme music is by Laura Schwartz of Bellwether Bayou.
This podcast was edited by Sandra Ward at NBR.