Abstract
ABSTRACTUnderstanding the causality of vulnerability is difficult to do and consequently has received insufficient attention. Root causes of vulnerability need to be understood and addressed to support adaptation that addresses climate risk and inequality. This paper contributes to this by examining vulnerability from a structural perspective for the case of interstate migrants from West Bengal working as waste pickers in Bangalore’s informal squatter settlements. It also throws light on how understanding structural vulnerability can help to emphasize social justice concerns while adapting to climatic risks. The research, using qualitative methods, examines complex intersections between a multitude of factors such as climate change, agrarian distress, exclusionary patterns of urbanization and the resultant lack of recognition that shapes and reshapes the vulnerability of a certain group of people. Our findings emphasize the compelling need for vulnerability and adaptation research to focus more on understanding inequality if improving justice is a concern. This focus on justice is insufficiently prioritized in climate change adaptation work.
Highlights
The political economy of climate change in India depicts multiple and complex intersections with the current development paradigm and the emerging patterns of socio-economic inequality in the country (Bijoy, Ghosh, & Dutta, 2013; Michael & Vakulabharanam, 2016; Shrivastava & Kothari, 2012)
The paper uses the case of interstate migrants from West Bengal residing in informal squatter settlements1 of Bangalore city to understand vulnerability from a structural perspective in order to address justice concerns in the context of climate change adaptation
The distributional implications of climate change and environmental degradation are juxtaposed on the existing coalitions of power and wealth generated by ‘the normal workings of international political economy’ generating divisions along the lines of class and caste among others (Szasz & Meuser, 1997, pp. 11– 112)
Summary
The political economy of climate change in India depicts multiple and complex intersections with the current development paradigm and the emerging patterns of socio-economic inequality in the country (Bijoy, Ghosh, & Dutta, 2013; Michael & Vakulabharanam, 2016; Shrivastava & Kothari, 2012). Understanding the causality and structure of vulnerability helps to focus on the larger social, political-economic and structural variables that shape capacity and underpin livelihoods security (Ribot, 2014) In this context, the paper uses the case of interstate migrants from West Bengal residing in informal squatter settlements of Bangalore city to understand vulnerability from a structural perspective in order to address justice concerns in the context of climate change adaptation. Many of the neo-liberal reforms have been socially divisive leading to land dispossession, loss of livelihoods and decline of agricultural incomes in rural areas which have exacerbated poverty and inequalities (Shrivastava & Kothari, 2012) This period has been marked by increased distress in India’s agrarian sector as there was a drastic reduction of public investment in agriculture and decreased state support for small and marginal farmers (Vakulabharanam, 2012). This process has resulted in Indian cities being ‘highly unequal spaces economically, spatially, socially and culturally over the last two decades’ (Vakulabharanam & Motiram, 2012, p. 44)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
