Abstract
AbstractLongitudinal assessment of climate vulnerability is essential for understanding the complex factors affecting how people experience and respond to climate change. We report on the first longitudinal assessment of climate vulnerability in the Himalayan region, exploring the evolving landscape, perceptions, and experiences of communities of climate change impacts, vulnerability, and adaptation in Kashmir over an 8-year period from 2017 to 2024. We provide the Himalayan Re-study Framework (HRF) to monitor, characterise, and conceptualise climate change in the Himalayas. Utilising mixed methods, we showcase how climate change is affecting social, economic, political, and environmental dimensions, examining how the impacts of climate change and vulnerability evolve over time, shaping and reshaping how climate risks are experienced and responded to by communities. Our analysis reveals a nuanced understanding of vulnerability, highlighting the impact on communities’ livelihoods and water security, differential impacts on marginalised communities, and the gendered nature of climate change. We examine how certain sections of the population face marginalisation, discrimination, and racism, and how climate change exacerbates these challenges. Kashmir’s vulnerability to climate change extends beyond environmental factors, intertwining with culture, livelihoods, social dynamics, and politics. Climate change continues to compete for attention with immediate political and socio-economic challenges, highlighting the need for integrated approaches to address both environmental and societal issues in Kashmir.
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Reference54 articles.
1. Adger, W.N., J. Barnett, S. Heath, and S. Jarillo. 2022. Climate change affects multiple dimensions of well-being through impacts, information and policy responses. Nature Human Behaviour 6: 1465–1473.
2. Ahanger, M. A., and Lone, M. A. 2018. Effect of climate change over Kashmir valley. Urban Ecology, Water Quality and Climate Change, 135–147.
3. Ahmad, W.S., S. Jamal, A. Sharma, and I.H. Malik. 2024. Spatiotemporal analysis of urban expansion in Srinagar city, Kashmir. Discover Cities 1: 8.
4. Ahsan, S., Bhat, M. S., Alam, A., Farooq, H., and Shiekh, H. A. 2022. Evaluating the impact of climate change on extreme temperature and precipitation events over the Kashmir Himalaya. Climate Dynamics, 1–19.
5. Archer, L., J.D. Ford, T. Pearce, S. Kowal, W.A. Gough, and M. Allurut. 2017. Longitudinal assessment of climate vulnerability: A case study from the Canadian Arctic. Sustainability Science 12: 15–29.