Climate risks and socio-economic vulnerability in Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

Climate risks, emerging threats to humanity, increase the level of disaster in many ways. A comprehensive understanding of climate risks and their impacts is a pre-requisite for developing suitable adaptation strategies toward sustainable development. This paper assessed the socio-economic vulnerability based on sustainable development goals (SDG) in the state of Tamil Nadu in the context of climate risks to comprehend the links between climate risks and the physical setting of Tamil Nadu, along with its capability to adapt. An indicator-based methodology of vulnerability assessment as per the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was adopted to understand the links between the sensitivity of the state and its ability to cope and adapt. The climate extremities, which cause risks, were determined based on India Meteorological Department (IMD) norms. The indicators which directly or indirectly label specific/integrated goals of SDG were used as sensitivity and adaptive capacity indicators. Data from each district for all identified indicators were collected from authentic sources and categorized into four components: natural, social, economic, and infrastructure. The indicators were analyzed and weights were assigned to the indicators using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The district-wise vulnerability indices were calculated and categorized as natural vulnerability index (NVI), social vulnerability index (SVI), economic vulnerability index (EVI), infrastructure vulnerability index (IVI), and overall cumulative vulnerability index (CVI). The study revealed the significant contributing indicators of risk and the vulnerable districts of Tamil Nadu. Ariyalur was identified as the most vulnerable district due to its high sensitivity and low adaptive capacity to climate risks. The other top vulnerable districts were Nagapattinam, Ramanathapuram, Thiruvarur, Thiruvallur, Thanjavur, Perambalur, Pudukottai, and Thiruvannamalai. The outcome of the study may be deliberated as an indicator of alarming socio-economic and infrastructural conditions of the districts and may help planners to prioritize their actions toward climate resilience.