Climate Insecurity And Conflict In South Asia

La jacquette indique : Climate change has emerged a central and undeniable issue for nations as its effects are causing environmental damage that triggers enormous human insecurity and conflict around the world. South Asia in particular has been identified as one of the more high risk regions of the world when it comes to climate change and its impacts. Though some scholars and policy makers contend there is no concrete evidence of a correlation between climate change and conflict, we compile compelling stories that connect climate change effects with human insecurity and conflict in South Asia. Using five years of research, looking at media and scientific reports from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, we document ample evidence that climate stress has become a powerful catalyst for social tension and insecurity. Erratic climate events (e.g., 2010 floods in Pakistan and 2012 flood in North India and Nepal) as a result of climate variability have impacted millions of livelihoods throughout South Asia and rendered billions of dollars in damage on homes and national infrastructure. This book documents that when climate stress causes insecurity among people, the situations can be manipulated for political ends, and often results in social conflict. Hence, it is important for South Asian nations to work together in the framework of environmental security to tackle the challenges arising from the climate stress. In this context, this book provides a framework of analysis of environmental security to deal with the causes and consequences of climate change.

This book addresses an important topic of food security in South Asia with specific reference to climate change. Of the 1 billion food insecure people in the world, more than 30% are in South Asia. The problem of food insecurity may be exacerbated by the projected climate change especially because of the water scarcity caused by rapid melting of the glaciers in the Himalayas and increase in variability in monsoonal rains and frequency of extreme events. Furthermore, large populations of Bangladesh and other coastal regions may be displaced by sea level rise. Thus, this volume addresses recommended land use and soil/water/crop/vegetation management practices which would enable land managers to adapt to climate disruption by enhancing soil/ecosystem/social resilience. In addition to biophysical factors, this book also addresses the issues related to human dimensions including social, ethnical and political considerations.

Uncertainty surrounding the specific implications of climate change and migration on security and stability is no longer an excuse for inaction. A 2009 Report of the U.N. Secretary General outlined "second order effects of unsuccessful adaptation in the form of uncoordinated coping or survival strategies of local populations... [including] involuntary migration, competition with other communities or groups over scarce resouces and an overburdening of local or national governance capabilities." -- From summary, page 1.

This book makes an important and timely contribution to debates about the relationship between climate change and security in Southeast Asia. It does so through a human security lens, drawing on local and regional expertise to discuss the threats that climate change poses to human security in Southeast Asia and to show how a human security approach draws attention to the importance of adaptation and strategies for social resilience. In doing so, it exposes the consequences of climate change, the impact on community rights and access, the special problem of border areas, before going on to investigate local and regional strategies for addressing the human security challenges of climate change.

Climate change has been fueling migration, and, according to some policy reports, there could more than one billion climate migrants/refugees across the world by 2050. In South Asia, disasters, environmental degradation, and climate change are increasing the number of migrants every year. In South Asia, like other parts of the world, migrants and displaced people mainly move within their respective countries, but some cross the porous border. At most places, the migrants and displaced people face hostile situation as they are not welcome by their local host population. The chapters in the book highlight the challenges and inadequacies of governments and communities in protecting the environment as well as the disproportionate effect that climate change has on the poor and marginalized groups. The book also discusses the gendered experiences of climate-related migrations and policy measures which need to be implemented to counter forced displacements and environment degradation along with the legal and institutional resources which could help mitigate climate change and protect climate refugees. This book will be of interest to students and researchers of development studies, ecology and environment, migration, sociology, law and governance, human ecology, climate change and economics.

This book delves into the theory and praxis of human security in South Asia. Home to almost a quarter of the world’s population and fast emerging markets, South Asia holds social, geopolitical and economic significance in the current global context. The chapters in the volume: examine the challenges to human security through an exploration of environmental issues including water availability, electric waste, environmental governance and climate change; explore key themes such as development, displacement and migration, the role of civil society, sustainable development and poverty; and discuss developmental issues in South Asia and provide a holistic picture of non-military security issues. Bringing together scholars from varied disciplines, this comprehensive volume will be useful for researchers, teachers and students of international relations, human rights, political science, development studies, human geography and demography, defense and strategic studies, migration and diaspora studies, and South Asian studies.

This open access book explores the implications of urbanization in South Asia for water (in-) security in the peri-urban spaces of Dhaka and Khulna in Bangladesh, Bengaluru, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Pune in India, and Kathmandu Valley in Nepal. The book looks into specifically peri-urban water security issues in a context of rapid urbanization and social-environmental changes, including the changing climate and its emerging impacts. It demonstrates how urbanization processes change water flows between rural and urban areas, the implications of this processes for the water security of peri-urban populations, and how new institutions and technologies develop to mediate the relationships between peri-urban communities and water. The book seeks to further the debate on peri-urban water security, including what constitutes the peri-urban, socially differentiated access to water in peri-urban spaces, interventions for improving water access, and emerging forms of cooperation and conflict related to water access in a context of urbanization and climate change. As such, this book is an interesting read for academics with various disciplinary backgrounds, professionals working in the worlds of national and international policy, NGOs, activist groups, research and development institutes, and individual readers interested in water security and urbanization.