Trip to Dhaka, Bangladesh

We are a group of six graduate women studying at the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) at Columbia. Five of us will be traveling to Dhaka, Bangladesh for 9 days to study how people cope with extreme heat in the Korail slum population and assess if cool roofs are a sustainable cooling strategy. 

Human exposure to heat extremes is at unprecedented levels in many parts of the world. With rising global temperatures due to climate change, heat exposure is likely to increase. In those countries, people who cannot access cooling are facing several risks including health risks, food and nutrition security, challenges to human productivity and, in extreme cases, even death. Bangladesh is one such climate-vulnerable country facing such risks.

We have been awarded three research grants through the Energy and Environment Practicum at SIPA, the Women in Energy organization at the Center for Global Energy Policy, and the Columbia University Earth Institute Travel Grant. Unfortunately, we are still short several hundred dollars. Contributions would go to on the ground research assistants in Dhaka, translation, and other research related expenses. 

Any donation big or small will help contribute toward climate change adaptation strategies. Thank you so much in advance for your contributions! 

Update: We are overjoyed with the amount of support we have received so far from all of your generous contributions. We have just arrived to Dhaka and cannot wait to share our adventure with all of our friends and family. Although we have reached our goal, we are still accepting donations for the on the ground costs of translation and continued research. 

Cata, Jaclyn, Grace, Molly, Luz & Daniela