Climate Change and Land: Insights from Myanmar

Abstract

Climate change and land are linked politically. Climate change politics intersects with the global land rush in extensive and complex ways, the impacts of which affect villagers profoundly. These interconnections occur in direct and indirect ways and are often subtle, but that does not make them less important; it only makes the challenge of governing such dynamics in the interests of marginalized working poor people even more difficult. In this paper, we focus our analysis on indirect and subtle interconnections. Examining empirical cases in Northern Shan State in Myanmar, we conclude that these interconnections occur in at least three broad ways, in which climate change politics can be: (i) a trigger for land grabbing, (ii) a legitimating process for land grabs, or (iii) a de-legitimating process for people’s climate change mitigation and adaptation practices. These interconnections in turn stoke old and provoke new political axes of conflict within and between state and social forces.

Presenters

Agga Wansa
Student, Buddhist Monk, Pannaparmi Meditation Center Monastery, Yangon, Myanmar

Details

Presentation Type

Paper Presentation in a Themed Session

Theme

2024 Special Focus—Responding to a Climate Emergency: Purpose Driven Organizations for a Sustainable Future

KEYWORDS

Climate change and land Climate change politics Land rush Asia