Me:: like everything else the language of climate change is too often defined by those in power in the global North far away from places most affected by climate change which currently are less developed countries Sanzida Alam Lisa:: The language of climate change: Can global terms capture local realities? | The Business Standard
Discovered: Jan 1, 2025 13:23 Me:: like everything else the language of climate change is too often defined by those in power in the global North far away from places most affected by climate change which currently are less developed countries Sanzida Alam Lisa:: The language of climate change: Can global terms capture local realities? ¦ The Business Standard
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Read the whole thing: Sanzida Alam Lisa:: The language of climate change: Can global terms capture local realities? ¦ The Business Standard via a toot from Robert Sanscartier
The language used—technical, detached, and foreign—defines climate change, its risk to vulnerable communities, and how it should be addressed. But does it reflect the reality of Bangladesh, a country on the frontline of the climate crisis?
In Bangladesh, the effects of climate change are undeniable, yet the terms imposed by global frameworks often fail to capture the essence of local struggles and experiences. Words like ‘vulnerability,’ ‘adaptation,’ ‘displacement,’ and ‘dispossession’ dominate the discourse. These terms, viewed from a Global North perspective, are disconnected from the lived experiences and realities of communities that have adapted to nature’s unpredictability for generations. More often than not, it is those in positions of power who construct knowledge. Michel Foucault’s concept of knowledge/power in discourse analysis can be used to explain this dynamic. Foucault argued that power and knowledge are inextricably linked and mutually reinforcing.
While global reports may hail ‘alternative livelihood’ or ‘community empowerment’ as solutions, the Sundarbans’ honey collectors or Shyanmagar’s farmers may see these as distant concepts that neither acknowledge nor address their immediate struggles.
This mismatch between global definitions and local knowledge isn’t just a matter of semantics; it shapes policies, funding priorities, and , ultimately, who gets to decide the future of countries like Bangladesh. More often than not, it is those in positions of power who construct knowledge.