Investigating the origins of differentiated vulnerabilities to climate change through the lenses of the Capability Approach

Abstract

AbstractThe paper traces the evolution the concept of socioeconomic vulnerability to climate change has followed in the academic and scientific debate and examines its effects on wellbeing. The recent recognition of vulnerability as a social construction has shifted the focus of the analysis to the dimension of adaptive capacity, restoring a political economy significance to the study of vulnerability. The social origin of vulnerability is related to the presence of structural inequalities, rooted in structural economic and political relationships and reinforced by historical cultural values and praxes. Structural inequalities and power relations in place within a society shape access to resources and capabilities that can enable individuals or population groups to prevent and cope with impacts from extreme weather events, ultimately defining vulnerabilities. Widespread vulnerabilities to climate change can compromise wellbeing in several ways, including an increase in food insecurity, health issues, outbreak of armed conflicts and mass migrations. In addition, the same individual or population group can be vulnerable in more than one wellbeing dimension and, once a dimension is affected, their own vulnerability to other threats is likely to increase.