Impact and Evaluation
Climate Change Adaptation Strategies in the Hakaluki Haor of Bangladesh: The Role of Social Capital View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Md Amdadul Haque
The climate change risks pose a significant threat to the haor area in the Sylhet region of Bangladesh. This qualitative study identifies climate change adaptation strategies employed by the Hakaluki haor people and establishes a link between social capital and climate change adaptation. Defining the components of social capital is crucial to comprehending its role in climate change adaptation. The social capital theory explains the benefits of having relationships. Within a social group, people can gain knowledge, financial risk sharing, and support during tough times. It is also valuable to network outside of one's immediate group to create trust-based relationships. Building connections can lead to excellent outcomes for individuals and society. The study reveals that the haor people have adapted to climate-related risks by using their indigenous knowledge, constructing submersible embankments, and utilizing bamboo fences or brick walls to protect their homes from floods and erosion. Through in-depth interviews with 30 residents and consulting secondary data sources, the study finds that bonding social capital plays a critical role in all aspects of climate change adaptation while bridging and linking social capital are equally important in specific situations. The results of this study can be utilized to develop new adaptation strategies and understand how other wetlands in Bangladesh can cope with the effects of climate change. Overall, the study provides valuable insights into the role of social capital in climate change adaptation in the haor area of Bangladesh.
Sinking River Islands and Sea Level Rise in the Indian Sunderbans in the Age of Anthropocene: Drowning Ghoramara Island and Fragmented Sagar Island View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Vibha Arora
The sacred landscape of River Ganga and its eponymous journey from the Himalayas into the Bay of Bengal narrates a poignant tale of climate change. The Sunderbans archipelago is sinking at an alarming rate due to tidal activity and sea level rise as per multitude of scientific literature and field reports. This paper connects the fate of two river islands located in the estuary of Hooghly with sacred River Ganga in contemporary India, and discusses how macro-micro fluvial levels inter-connect and epitomize the derangement and devastation that India will experience not merely socio-ecologically, but also in the symbolic-cultural realm. The first section of the paper focuses on the sacred waterscape of River Ganga and its centrality to affirming identity of Indian Hindus and its strategic place in the Indian nationalist imagination in the contemporary. The second section takes us to Sunderbans delta and to the southern islands (relatively less studied) and to the drowning island-top of Ghoramar from where residents are being internally displaced. The third section of the paper interconnects the socio-cultural and symbolic association of these islands with each other and with sacred River Ganga. Case studies and relevant secondary literature were used to frame the argument. The socio-ecological impact of islands sinking with sea level rise for India's sacred geography and for affected locals is discussed in the paper to understand criticality of checking global warming and countering sea-level rise.
Impact Assessment of the World Bank’s Resilience Efforts in 2022 Floods in Sindh, Pakistan: From the Lens of Home, Community, and Inclusivity View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Aamna Azad, Shiraz Ali Shah
Pakistan is among top ten countries in terms of vulnerability to the impacts of climate change. The recent floods of 2022 devastated more than 30 percent of the country and had a financial impact of more than 30 billion US dollars on the country’s already struggling economy. Since then, the World Bank has been at the forefront of recovery and reconstruction efforts in flood affected communities of Pakistan. This study assesses the impact of the resilience housing reconstruction programme of the World Bank in Sindh province of Pakistan. The research structure focuses on the themes of cost efficiency, resilient design, community ownership, accessibility, and diversity in the reconstruction process of two selected case studies within Sindh. The case studies, ABC and XYZ, are selected based on variation in landform and level of flood devastation. The comparative analysis ensures to diversify the depth and generalizability of the research. The study concludes in recommendations as well as lessons learnt and highlights best practices tested through post occupancy evaluation. These in turn can provide guidance and inform future flood reconstruction programmes in areas with a similar geographic and environmental profile.
Climate Awareness and Business Solutions: Evidence from Northern California’s Climate-impacted Region, Sonoma County View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Nadiya Parekh, Lily Roberts, Claudia Muralles, Andres Serrano
As corporations are committing to adopt sustainability principles, we are witnessing more and more businesses coming up with novel solutions to address the climate emergency we are facing. Though a welcome trend, when businesses address climate change issues oblivious of community’s perspectives on how the socio-economic realities of the region interact with their notion of climate action, the intended impact of business sustainability solutions may not attain its fullest potential. This study explores the gaps in this domain of climate action by exploring how climate awareness of a region can be translated to climate action through community-informed systems change solutions that businesses can act on and advocate for. We use a mixed-methods research design and investigate this topic with evidence from Northern California’s climate-impacted region, Sonoma County. Our findings contribute to strengthening the knowledge base in business sustainability by integrating the richness of diverse communities' perspectives to the discourse of what can (and cannot) contribute to meaningful climate action.
Featured Climate Concern and Eco-anxiety in BC Youth: Findings from the 2023 Youth Development Instrument View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Judy Wu
Eco-anxiety describes heightened anxiety levels related to the threat of global environmental disaster. As the climate emergency grows in urgency, eco-anxiety could precipitate new psychological conditions and worsen existing mental illnesses. This is of particular concern among youth, who are likely to experience repeated stressors related to the climate crisis. This developmental period is also characterized by peak onset of mental health disorders. This study’s objectives were to assess levels of climate concern and eco-anxiety among BC students. Items measuring climate concern and eco-anxiety were included on the Youth Development Instrument, a population-level well-being survey of Grade 11 students in BC. Survey participants included 14,596 students. Many students were worried about climate change (72.2%) and 74.1% thought the threat should be taken more seriously. A smaller proportion reported experiences of eco-anxiety, with 45.0% feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge due to the environment in the past two weeks of the YDI survey. A large number of BC youth are experiencing climate change- and environment-related mental health effects. Developing resources to help youth cope with increasing climate change and environmental stressors is a pressing priority as the climate and environmental emergencies grow in urgency.
Atmospheric Circulation Patterns Controlling Wetness and Dryness Across Lake Urmia Basin in Iran: Historical Drought Dynamics View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Masoud Irannezhad
Iran’s Lake Urmia (LU), once the second-largest permanent saltwater lake on Earth, desiccated by 88% in 1972-2014. Drought has played a key role in such area shrinkage of LU by reducing its inflow by 44% during 1996-2003. This dryness reflects regional precipitation deficit naturally controlled by large-scale atmospheric circulations (ACPs) like the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). Hence, identifying those influential ACPs for meteorological drought dynamics throughout the LU Basin crucially helps develop effective adaptation and mitigation strategies to prevent further shriveling. Using the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), this study evaluated the spatio-temporal variability in wetness and dryness characteristics (in terms of intensity, frequency, and duration) across the LU Basin during 1981-2015. The SPI values were calculated in 12 (annual) and 3 (seasonal) time steps (SPI-12 and -3, respectively). The relationships between such SPI values and well-known large-scale ACPs were also investigated. Based on SPI-12 values, annual dryness was mostly severe, seen in 1997-2001, with higher intensity and frequency in the south part of the LU Basin. Such dryness variability was mainly associated with the annual East Atlantic/West Russia (EA/WR) pattern. On the seasonal scale, springtime (March-May) SPI-3 values showed the highest drying trends, and most frequent drought events, mainly at the extreme level, lasting for 1-2 consecutive years, all particularly in response to variations in the Scandinavian (SCA) pattern. Such findings lay the foundation for sustainable water resources management throughout the LU Basin, acting towards achieving the 2030 United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development on local, regional, and global scales.
