Climate Change-induced Disasters Research Articles

Climate Change-induced Livelihood Insecurity in Narayani-Gandak Basin of Nepal

Nepal is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. Nepal is highly vulnerable to climate risks and disasters. It ranks 4th, 11th, and 13th in terms of vulnerability to climate change, earthquake, and flood risks, respectively. Due to intensive, concentrated, and erratic precipitation, climate change-induced disasters such as 'too much water and too little water' are rapidly increasing in Nepal and the ‘too much water’ has been affecting riverine communities, significantly, in the Terai region of Nepal. The communities of the Narayani basin have been forced to encounter floods every year due to the perennial Narayani and Rapti including other local seasonal rivers. While these rivers seem to b e providing services for irrigation to nurture agricultural products, to some extent, the riparian communities have also been forced to encounter extensive amounts of losses and damages to lives, livestock, crops, and property, which have resulted in losses of livelihoods, and generated serious concerns for communities due to surmounting risks of flood like natural hazards turning into disasters. Employing a mixed-method research approach, we investigated how climate change-induced hazards such as floods turning into disasters have affected the livelihoods of people living in the riverine communities of Chitwan. The two research objectives we explored were i) to examine the impacts of climate change and floods on agriculture and the livelihoods of community people, and ii) to investigate the adaptive methods adopted by local communities to combat climate change-induced flooding for building climate/flood resilient communities. The findings of the research demonstrated that climatic changes have interacted with socio-economic and agricultural practices and significantly affecting livelihood of the communities in Chitwan. In response to changing climatic conditions and unanticipated weather patterns, people in the communities are gradually adjusting their agricultural practices, covering the losses and damages through insurance policies and diversifying the income generating sources.

Climate Change-Induced Disaster and Its Impact on the National Security of Nepal

In the 21st century, Climate Change emerges as a non-traditional but significant contemporary challenge, acting as a potential threat multiplier in the realm of non-conventional security. While this change poses a major global environmental challenge, particularly affecting Asia, a few studies argue the ramifications of climate change for national security. As a Himalayan country, Nepal, being unique topographically with an altitude ranging from 60m to 8848.86m, is prone to various kinds of disasters, including climate change-induced among many. Existing scholarship on national security, few have explored the potential threats due to its impacts, however, the domestic literature lacks clarity on Nepal’s vulnerability towards this. In this context, geographically located in the lap of the Himalayas, Nepal has been lagging far behind in grasping the issue of climate change through the lens of national security. This study maps the possible connection between these two by examining the major adverse environmental trends and disasters that pose a security threat to Nepal. It also aims to explore the ways to potential mitigating or adaptation measures to the effects of climate change on national security which eventually helps security professionals, scholars, and decision-makers. This article uses a content analysis approach to conclude the collected information where thematic analytical interpretation is used.

National Rural Health Mission reforms in light of decentralised planning in Kerala, India: a realist analysis of data from three witness seminars

BackgroundThe People’s Planning Campaign (PPC) in the southern Indian state of Kerala started in 1996, following which the state devolved functions, finances, and functionaries to Local Self-Governments (LSGs). The erstwhile National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), subsequently renamed the National Health Mission (NHM) was a large-scale, national architectural health reform launched in 2005. How decentralisation and NRHM interacted and played out at the ground level is understudied. Our study aimed to fill this gap, privileging the voices and perspectives of those directly involved with this history.MethodsWe employed the Witness Seminar (WS), an oral history technique where witnesses to history together reminisce about historical events and their significance as a matter of public record. Three virtual WS comprised of 23 participants (involved with the PPC, N(R)HM, civil society, and the health department) were held from June to Sept 2021. Inductive thematic analysis of transcripts was carried out by four researchers using ATLAS. ti 9. WS transcripts were analyzed using a realist approach, meaning we identified Contexts, Mechanisms, and Outcomes (CMO) characterising NRHM health reform in the state as they related to decentralised planning.ResultsTwo CMO configurations were identified, In the first one, witnesses reflected that decentralisation reforms empowered LSGs, democratised health planning, brought values alignment among health system actors, and equipped communities with the tools to identify local problems and solutions. Innovation in the health sector by LSGs was nurtured and incentivised with selected programs being scaled up through N(R)HM. The synergy of the decentralised planning process and N(R)HM improved health infrastructure, human resources and quality of care delivered by the state health system. The second configuration suggested that community action for health was reanimated in the context of the emergence of climate change-induced disasters and communicable diseases. In the long run, N(R)HM’s frontline health workers, ASHAs, emerged as leaders in LSGs.ConclusionThe synergy between decentralised health planning and N(R)HM has significantly shaped and impacted the health sector, leading to innovative and inclusive programs that respond to local health needs and improved health system infrastructure. However, centralised health planning still belies the ethos and imperative of decentralisation – these contradictions may vex progress going forward and warrant further study.

Navigating Climate Change Challenges through Smart Resilient Cities: A Comprehensive Assessment Framework

The rapid increase in the global population is contributing to the urgent challenges we face in ensuring the sustainability of our planet. This demographic shift, which gained momentum in the 1990s, is closely linked to a surge in natural disasters, both in terms of their frequency and severity. The quest for resources and improved quality of life, including the need for housing and essential services, has compounded these challenges. With the world’s population projected to double by 2050, and approximately two-thirds of this population expected to reside in urban areas, we are facing a complex web of interconnected issues that will significantly magnify the impacts of climate change-induced disasters. It is imperative that we build resilient cities capable of withstanding and adapting to these changes. However, the growing complexity of urban services and the necessity for integrated management raise questions about the preparedness of these resilient cities to comprehend and address the multifaceted challenges posed by climate change. In response to these critical concerns, this study endeavors to address the intersection of resilience and climate change. We propose the development of a Smart Resilient City Assessment Framework, comprising two core components: resilience re-evaluation and smartness evaluation. Each component consists of eight essential steps. The culmination of these steps results in a semi-quantitative index that accurately reflects the city’s position regarding resilience and smartness in the face of climate change-related disasters. To demonstrate the framework’s practicality and suitability, we present results from a hypothetical scenario focusing on water supply management, a critical aspect of climate change adaptation. The framework equips city managers with the necessary tools to re-evaluate their cities’ resilience, evaluate their capacity to address climate change-induced challenges, and make informed decisions on integrating resilience and smart solutions to pave the way for a more sustainable and climate-resilient future.

Climate Change-Induced Disasters in Northwest Syria (NWS); Impact, Adaptation, and Needs

Climate Change-Induced Disasters in Northwest Syria (NWS); Impact, Adaptation, and Needs

The impact of social capital on the resilience of flood-prone communities: The case study of northern Iran

Climate change-induced disasters, such as floods, are threatening coastal communities, particularly vulnerable communities in developing countries, around the world. While various tools and measures are under examination for building and enhancing resilience capacity in order to improve the preparedness of these communities for future events, social capital has been shown to influence how local communities can be resilient using their social connectedness. The purpose of this study was to investigate the function of social capital in informing and improving the resilience capacity process of coastal communities in northern Iran. This study used a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods and analyzed a number of social capital indicators in the study area in a field survey using questionnaires and techniques of inferential statistics (i.e., Pearson correlation and T-test). For this reason, 376 residents from the towns that sustained the largest human and financial losses were chosen for examination. The results showed that bonding capital has a considerable effect on the community's resilience capacity. Moreover, some social capital criteria, including respect for the rights of the neighbors, existence of public green space, children's playground, and planting trees, are the most important criteria in developing capacities for enhancing resilience among the residents of the community under study. This shows that developing community resilience through social ability and trust will be more successful than doing so by just raising awareness of hazard threats. This study recommends that further efforts be made to increase the capability of both formal and informal communal institutions. The structural adjustments that are necessary, on the other hand, are difficult.

The Insecure Migrant

Abstract For many Hondurans fleeing poverty, political corruption, violent crime, and climate change-induced disasters and seeking settlement in the United States, insecurity is a lived condition throughout the non-linear migratory journey. Add to that an ever-expanding surveillance infrastructure and thickening of the securitized US–Mexico border, and the very act of leaving arguably becomes political in its assertion of the right to dignified life. In this article I examine how undocumented Honduran migrants living in New Orleans rationalize the levels of risk they have faced during their migration and residency in the city. By focusing on violence—potential and actual—from petty criminals, gangs, traffickers, and law enforcement, I argue for heightened attention to how insecurity is an ongoing, cumulative, and transnational process that migrants face in their search for the good life.

Energy and Development: Assessing the Viability of Hydroelectricity Trade in the Himalayas

The Himalayan region is renowned as a powerhouse of Asia. Despite its abundant natural resources, youthful population, and strategic location between two rapidly developing Asian economies, the social and economic conditions in the Himalayan region, particularly in Nepal and Bhutan, have remained consistently underdeveloped. Various factors contribute to this, including climate change-induced disasters, political instability, strained bilateral relations between lower and upper riparian countries, and inadequate resource management. This article aims to address the existing research gap by exploring the energy potential of the Himalayan region and its viability for sustainable economic growth in the face of increasing global temperatures and climate-induced energy crises. The article asserts that, unless the region diversifies its energy sources to include other renewables, the Himalayan region (comprising Nepal, Bhutan, and the Indian Himalayan States-IHS) may not be able to serve as a stable hydro energy supplier to the South Asian region. This is due to inherent challenges and the strategic competition between India and China, both regionally and globally.

Validation of the Climate Change Anxiety Scale for Korean Adults

Purpose. This study evaluated the validity and reliability of the Korean Climate Change Anxiety Scale (CCAS) translation. Design and Methods. Data were collected using an online survey from January 17 to January 26, 2022, from 459 adults aged 19–65 years. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were performed, and Cronbach’s α and intraclass correlation coefficient were evaluated. Findings. The CCAS’s Korean version can be used as an effective tool because its validity and reliability have been verified. Practice Implications. Studies examining climate change anxiety can help protect human security against climate change-induced disasters and achieve sustainable development goals.

Submission to the Un Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of All Human Rights by Older Persons on Her Report on Older Persons in the Context of Climate Change-Induced Disasters (Nigeria)

Submission to the Un Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of All Human Rights by Older Persons on Her Report on Older Persons in the Context of Climate Change-Induced Disasters (Nigeria)

Magnitude and Risk of Livelihood Asset Damage due to Climate Change-Induced Disasters of the Coastal Fisher of Bangladesh

Magnitude and Risk of Livelihood Asset Damage due to Climate Change-Induced Disasters of the Coastal Fisher of Bangladesh

Dezastrul produs în urma inundațiilor. Experiențe din mediul rural [Flood-induced disasters: Experiences from rural areas]. Tritonic, Bucharest, 2019. Anca Mihai

The book reviewed here is one of the very rare social scientific analyses of flood-induced disasters in Romania. The monograph is a valuable contribution to the Romanian literature in the social sciences, because the author makes a sustained effort to advance a sociological understanding of the disasters tiggered by floods. In this sense, any given flood is not the disaster but only the trigger of a social disaster. The disaster ensues from the ways in which the flood interacts with pre-existing socio-economic and spatial conditions and inequalities. The book is structured into six chapters and an introductory piece. Its appeal is wide-ranging and it includes all social scientists interested in flood-induced or climate change-induced disasters. Experts and stakeholders involved in the management of floods or similar systemic hazards would also greatly benefit from reading this informative piece.

Conceptualizing resilience: An energy services approach

Climate change-induced disasters are increasingly affecting communities around the globe. To study the impacts and recovery of the communities from disasters, resilience is increasingly outlined as a useful concept for policymakers and planners. Resilience helps us to understand a system or individual elements of a system on how they can withstand and recover from a disaster. However, the current resilience definition and subsequent frameworks developed based on the definition fail to capture the energy service dimension to understand, measure, and explain resiliency. The capability approach forms the basis of the energy service perspective, outlining that freedom to achieve well-being is of primary human importance. Modern energy, synonymous with electricity today, is a means to derive almost all basic services to develop human capabilities. This deficiency of not looking at resilience from an energy service approach has led to largely ignoring the idea that we need energy services and not only energy to measure and enhance human capabilities during and after a disaster. This paper makes the case that the provisioning of energy services should be centered on understanding and measuring resilience, particularly at a finer resolution of an individual or household level. This paper aims to consider an approach for defining resilience based on the energy services revaluating the development of resiliency frameworks.

Breastfeeding, Community Vulnerability, Resilience, and Disasters: A Snapshot of the United States Gulf Coast.

Climate change-induced disasters are increasing in intensity and frequency in the United States. Infant feeding in the aftermath of an extreme event is particularly challenging, especially given large variations in community vulnerability and resilience. The aim of this study was to identify the physical, social, and spatial vulnerabilities of communities along the Gulf Coast and highlight locations where high (or low) breastfeeding initiation rates have the potential to offset (or exacerbate) infant feeding challenges in the wake of a disaster. We structured this study as a retrospective, spatial data analysis of breastfeeding initiation, the risk for extreme events, social vulnerability, and community resilience to uncover locations that may need post-disaster intervention. The results suggested that significant gaps in the geographic distribution of community risk, vulnerability, resilience, and breastfeeding initiation existed. While many metropolitan areas benefitted from high breastfeeding initiation rates, they were also the most “at risk” for disasters. Conversely, many rural communities faced less risk for extreme events but exhibited more social vulnerability and less resilience should a disaster strike. Prioritizing emergency response resources to support infant feeding after a disaster is critically important, but urban and rural communities have divergent profiles that will require variable strategies to ensure recovery. Our results highlight this variability and provide prescriptive guidance regarding where to potentially allocate emergency resources.

Post-typhoon forest damage estimation using multiple vegetation indices and machine learning models

The frequency and intensity of typhoons have increased due to climate change. These climate change-induced disasters have caused widespread damage to forests. Evaluation of the effects of typhoons on forest ecosystems is often complex and challenging, mainly because of their sporadic nature. In this paper, we compared existing forest damage estimation techniques with the goal of identifying their respective advantages and suitable use cases. We considered Hokkaido in northern Japan as a case study, where three typhoons successively struck in 2016 and led to forest destruction. Forest damage was estimated from Landsat 8 imagery by three approaches, namely using vegetation damage indices (DVDI, DNDVI and ΔEVI), using supervised classification with Random Forest (RF) and Support Vector Machines (SVM) and finally by using the commercial CLASlite software with built-in methods to detect forest disturbance. Machine learning classifiers obtained the highest damage assessment accuracy, but intensive computation and complex processing steps were required. The RF and SVM classifiers gave the highest accuracies when using Fractional Cover as a predictor variable (Overall Accuracy = 80.36% in both cases, and ROC AUC values of 0.89 and 0.88, respectively.) Among the vegetation damage indices, DNDVI produced the highest accuracy (AUC = 0.85, OA = 77.68%).The most damaged areas were on the windward slopes, where forest patches were exposed to the brunt of the typhoon winds. Forest damage also peaked at the highest elevations in the study area, possibly representing exposed hilltops. Methods and findings presented in this study can help stakeholders to implement more effective forest damage monitoring after typhoons and other extreme weather events in the future.

Community Resilience to Muddy Flood Disasters in the Dijle Catchment Region, Belgium: Study Cases of Bertem and Beauvechain Municipalities

In a context prone to flood-related disasters, com munities living in vulnerable areas within important catchments like the Dijle in central Belgium have been developing strategies to mitigate, prepare for, respond to and recover from the consequences of these extreme events. The present study analyses the structure of the local governance model and community resilience systems concerning muddy floods in the municipalities of Beauvechain (Wallonia) and Bertem (Flanders). Data was collected through semi-structured and open-ended interviews with governmental and non-governmental stakeholders. The analysis reveals that both communities have developed resources, actions, competencies and infrastructure to prevent and act when muddy flood disasters occur. In this context, municipalities are at the centre of the flood-disaster risk reduction man agement strategy; however, stronger collaborations with local communities and other stakeholders could be developed to build resilience against future events of high magnitude. This paper recommends harmonising existing policies to foster participation, community empowerment and knowledge exchange to provide an enabling environment and conditions to collectively build resilience against upcoming climate change-induced disasters like muddy floods.

The trap of climate change-induced “natural” disasters and inequality

The purpose of the present paper is to disentangle the mechanisms that connect climate change-induced disasters, inequality and vulnerability by accounting for both directions of causality. We do so by means of a simultaneous equations approach on a panel of 149 countries from 1992 to 2018. The empirical analysis reveals that countries with higher levels of income inequality suffer greater damages when hit by a natural disaster. At the same time, inequality is found to increase the number of people affected by disasters. Our analysis discloses the existence of a vicious cycle that keeps some countries stuck in a disasters-inequality trap.

Quantifying climate-induced drought risk to livelihood and mitigation actions in Balochistan.

Climate change-induced disasters show the highest risk for agriculture and livelihoods in rural areas of developing countries. Due to changing rainfall pattern, the arid and semiarid region of Pakistan faces frequent droughts. Farming communities affected by drought disasters are causing serious threats to livelihood, global food crises, environmental migration, and sustainable development. The existing study was designed to quantify two key components through (1) analysis of agrometeorological data (1981–2017) with exploratory data analysis and Mann–Kendall trend analysis; (2) extensive field survey (200 households). The multivariate probit model has been run to detect determinants of coping and adaptive strategies by farmers. Our results showed that the farmers supposed that temperature and rainfall were highly fluctuating in recent years equally. Farmers adopted different coping and adaptive measures that include crop diversification, input adjustment, water management, asset depletion, income diversification, and migration to sustain their livelihood during stress periods. The agrometeorological data analysis revealed that the agricultural vulnerability to drought risks increased significantly, and the survey results projected that 64.7% of the population is exposed to drought directly or indirectly. Sen’s slope quantification resulted in (0.025 °C) rise in temperature, (− 2.936 mm) decline in rainfall year−1. Modeling future scenarios resulted in an increase in temperature up to 0.7 °C, 1.2 °C, and a decrease in precipitation up to 161.48 mm, 103.5 mm in 2040 and 2060. The study evaluated a huge gap in the provision of drought risk resilience services, crop insurance, and climate-smart training practices to build capacities among farmers to cope with the impacts of extreme weather conditions. Our research might provide the groundwork to upgrade actions to drought prevention and early warning in water scarcity areas.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11069-021-04913-4.

Responding to Climate Change Disaster

Abstract. Climate change-induced disasters (e.g., bushfires, droughts, and flooding) occur more frequently and with greater intensity than in previous decades. Disasters can at times fuel social change but that is not guaranteed. To understand whether disasters lead to status quo maintenance or social change, we propose a model (Social Identity Model of Post-Disaster Action; SIMPDA) which focuses on the role of leadership in the aftermath of a disaster. Looking specifically at climate change-related disasters, we propose that intragroup and intergroup dynamics in both the pre-disaster as well as the post-disaster context affect whether leadership (a) has the potential to mobilize social identity resources to enable social change, or else (b) fails to capitalize on emerging social identity resources in ways that ultimately maintain the status quo. Given the importance of urgent climate change action, we predict that status quo maintenance is associated with post-disaster paralysis. In contrast, social change that is set in train by capitalizing on social identity-based resources holds the promise of greater post-disaster learning and enhanced disaster preparedness when it is focused on addressing the challenges brought about by climate change. We apply this model to understand responses to the 2019/2020 bushfires in Australia. Our analysis suggests that while an emerging sense of shared identity centered on acting to tackle climate change provides a window of opportunity for securing increased disaster preparedness, this opportunity risks being missed due to, among other things, the absence of leaders able and willing to engage in constructive identity-based leadership.

Climate change-induced disasters and cultural heritage: Optimizing management strategies in Central Europe

Due to climate change, it is foreseen that the frequency and magnitude of extreme climate events such as heavy precipitation, flooding and drought will increase throughout Europe. In recent times, numerous areas suffered from disasters that produced significant damage to cultural heritage. Although different risk management strategies are currently enforced in Central Europe, there still exist many challenges that undermine their effectiveness. This study reviews the necessary points to be addressed for strengthening existing management strategies within the region and the characteristics of potential resilience building measures. It presents feasible and tailored ICT solutions (e.g. a web GIS platform) and decision support tools (e.g. a manual for cultural heritage resilience and a handbook on transnational rescue procedures) for the protection of cultural heritage against floods, heavy rain and fire. These tools result from the Interreg Central Europe project ProteCHt2save, concentrating on risk assessment and sustainable protection of cultural heritage in changing environments. The proposed measures are tested at pilot sites and successfully integrated in local risk management plans. Future work is also proposed for further implementation of the results.