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The world warmed by about 0
.7°C in the 20th century. Every year in this century has been warmer than all but one in the last (1998, since you ask). If carbon-dioxide levels were magically to stabilise where they are now (almost 390 parts per million, 40% more than before the industrial revolution) the world would probably warm by a further half a degree or so as the ocean, which is slow to change its temperature, caught up. But CO2 levels continue to rise. Despite 20 years of climate negotiation, the world is still on an emissions trajectory that fits pretty easily into the “business as usual” scenarios drawn up by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
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People living in diara villages within the embankments of the River Gandak in Bihar face high levels of vulnerability due to frequent flooding and droughts
. Using anthropological surveys, gendered vulnerabilities in four diara villages in West Champaran are explored. Such vulnerability, in the context of a changing climate, combines social, political, and economic dimensions: the patriarchal creation of gender norms and biases; unequal access to water, sanitation, credit, and public distribution services; and limited employment opportunities. These elements influence the livelihood options of women and men differently, determining their capability in responding to risks posed by climatic and socio-economic stressors
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Adaptation needs and options contain a wide variety of interventions, reflecting their multi-faceted nature
. The study identified elements of successful adaptation measures and criteria for evaluating them for which the method of Multi- Criteria Analysis (MCA) was used. Participatory methods such as focus group discussions and interviews with key informants were included. District level workshops were organized to collate data and information. The findings showed that elements of successful adaptation options are context-specific, and vary between and among different stakeholder groups and scales of prioritization of evaluation criteria. These criteria also vary on a temporal scale (locally, sub-nationally and nationally). The findings imply that a blanket approach for understanding successful adaptation and evaluating adaptation options is not applicable at all levels. Instead, a context-specific and stakeholder-based understanding and application of the elements of successful adaptation and evaluation criteria will prove more useful for designing effective adaptation options
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Enhancing the capacity to adapt to climate change impacts has become a critical challenge for the developing countries
. This article therefore analyzes the legal and policy aspects and institutional structure of water resource management in Nepal. Policy and institutional analysis approach is used in the research as it offers a more comprehensive framework for thinking water governance issues. Data was generated from literature review, consultation with policy makers, and interaction with communities in Nepal. The findings show that inadequate legal and policy focus on emerging issues like climate change has resulted in ineffective response to both development and climate change issues at the local level. The study shows that the current institutional structure, mandate and performances have limitations such as lack of capacity, poor institutional governance and issues around understanding as well as responding to climate change. Due to implementation gaps of policies, poor and marginalized households are more exposed to climate risk and vulnerability. It was also found that poor and marginalized household and communities were deprived from access to water resources due to constraining provisions within policies and practices. The knowledge generated from this research outlined the suggestions on how to effectively respond to climate change in water resources sector and address the risk and vulnerability of communities dependent on water resources
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Climate Resilient Agriculture (CRA) is an innovative climate-friendly agricultural practice for adaptation, resilience and mitigation of climate change impacts
. It integrates the economic, social and environmental aspects of sustainable agriculture to address food security and climate challenges and increase incomes. Land, water and inputs should be utilized effectively to enhance productivity. This can be done through integrated nutrient management, pest and disease control by bio-pesticide, water recharge, harvesting and (re)use, and other climate resilient measures. Further, CRA practices can ensure a high rate of production and technological adaptability. These practices help in reducing greenhouse gas emissions or the amount of required labour or equipment. CRA is geared towards three main objectives: i) sustainably increasing agricultural productivity and incomes, ii) adapting and building resilience to climate change, and iii) reducing greenhouse gas emissions
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Forests play a vital role in combating climate change and mitigating its effects
. In the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), they are a source of livelihood for the region’s growing population. With forest degradation and deforestation increasing, it has become all the more necessary to have a reliable climate resilient forest management system.
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The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) supports regional and transboundary cooperation to meet challenges of climate change, disaster risks, and sustainable development in the Hindu Kush?Himalaya (HKH)
. Action to sustain the HKH has the potential to directly improve the lives of more than one fourth of the world's population. However, facilitating cooperation and policy coherence among the countries sharing HKH resources is a persistent challenge in a region that is prone to conflict and is highly variable regarding development. At ICIMOD, we work across HKH countries to help attain common goals related to sustainable development, using our skills in bringing together different groups within programmatic transboundary approaches covering topics such as river basins or transboundary landscapes. In addition, the Hindu Kush Himalayan Monitoring and Assessment Programme and the Himalayan University Consortium have made strides in promoting regional and transboundary cooperation among HKH countries, particularly emphasizing research synthesis and the role of academia
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Based on the questionnaire survey and key informant interview conducted in Baoshan prefecture located in western Yunnan province, this paper explores, while government promoted farmers’ out-migration as a response to local drought, the impacts of out-migration on local farmers climate change adaptability, through a comprehensive and comparative study on the difference of income source, drought response, family income distribution between remittance-recipient families and non remittance-recipient families
. Results show that the remittance brought back by out migrated farmers had a positive effect on the climate change adaptability of their families stayed in the origin. On the other hand, the mass out-migration of rural laborers also created potential problems, such as laborer shortage, for local agricultural development. It is suggested that in the future, vocational training for out-migration farmers, should include important courses such as family financial management, climate change and other related content to strengthen the climate change adaptability for farmers and rural communities; government should promote the concept of climate smart agriculture and localized adaptation strategies
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Climate change has been a proven fact with increase in temperature and rainfall variability
. The impacts of climate change are not homogeneous within a society, it varies from person to person, i.e. it has differentiated social impacts based on gender, age, disability, ethnicity, geographical location, as these parameters determines the coping capacity and capability. As women and men play significantly different roles the impact of climate change on various gender social groups varies. For instance, in patriarchal social structure of Nepal, men are involved in decision making and women mostly do the labor work including care services for household. The differential role men and women play in day to day life determines different level of access to resources and decision making power that is crucial to cope with climatic stressors. Understanding differentiated impact and adaption strategies are important to tackle climate change problem. This study analyses gendered impacts and responses to climatic stressor in irrigated agriculture scenario in rural communes in Nuwakot District a part of Province No. 3, one of the seventy-five districts of Nepal. This research assesses the impact of climate change in agriculture and livelihoods of people in Labdu Dikure Shera Irrigation System. The study is carried out inspired by participatory research methods and qualitative research tools. Data collection tools, such as face to face formal and informal interviews, focus group discussion, case studies and field observation. Checklist in form of open ended questionnaire are used n later part of the study to quantify some of the qualitative parameters on gendered understanding on climate change.This study found both men and women perceive climate change as a serious threat to agriculture operations. Respondents perceived temperature is increasing, Also, reported mean annual rainfall is increasing, where pre-monsoon, monsoon, postmonsoon is increasing respectively while winter rain is decreasing. There is shift is monsoon. Decreasing winter rain has serious impact on farming as well as water availability in the system. This problem has been further multiplied with poor governance on water distribution, because of which branch number 8, 9 and 10 tail end branches out of 10 total branches never received water including in rainy season. Change in cropping season is unaltered in head end as irrigation water fulfills water stress created by rainfall variability. Though, head end farmers reported that the time to grow rice has not changed, there is remarkable difference on time of harvesting. They assume it is because of increase in temperature. However tail enders who relies on rainfall had shifted the time of cultivation of paddy during monsoon. In addition, decreased productivity may be because of flash rainfall during pollination, flowering. Climatic hazards like water logging, flooding along the river side are caused due to intense rainfall during May/ June affecting summer crops, as well as threatening occurrence of flood in command area as the irrigation canal acted as drainage canal collecting water from upstream of watershed. Also, increased temperature with less or no rainfall in February-April caused dry spell problem affecting summer crops and available drinking water sources. Increase occurrence of diseases and pest including in millet is reported as surprises by the respondents. These climatic stressors have different effect on women and men situated in different stretches of irrigation system. The differential gender effect is determined by the availability of water supply in the system, demographic changes such as male absenteeism, exposure to use of chemicals to cope with occurrence of disease and pest; and gender norms, values and knowledge. Intensive use of pesticide is observed, where women’s engagement is increasing due to increased male migration from the study area. With lack of enough knowledge on risk of intensive use of chemicals, women farmers are found to be using the chemical in interval closer than the recommended. Drying of drinking water source has increased women’s drudgery by increasing time of collecting drinking water. Climate change is affecting human beings differently, influencing their priorities and adaptation strategies for coping with the challenges. In addition to stress caused on farming due to climatic stressor, the socioeconomic stressors such as government policy of manure supply and other accessories, alternate work opportunities, and increase cost of farming have caused farmers to divert from farming to non-farming activities. People with lesser hope in farming have changed their livelihoods like going abroad for earning. Thus, along with climate change impacts on farming, food distribution policy and changed livelihood sources has affected the farming side by side
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The Science-Policy Roundtable on Climate Change Adaptation brought together experts, policymakers, researchers and practitioners dealing with climate change policies for a two-day discussion to mark the beginning of a process of policy engagement at the sub-national level in India, Nepal, and Pakistan
. Organized by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), the roundtable focused on the Indian Himalayan region. It aimed to identify solutions towards ‘adaptation at scale’ that are likely to emerge from a greater inter-state, upstreamdownstream and cross-country cooperation in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH). The ultimate goal was to foster joint dialogue on mountain ecosystems in the context of climate change and adaptation, and to get HKH countries working together at the regional and global levels on these issues
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