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The Role of Place in Adapting to Climate Change: A Case Study from Ladakh, Western Himalayas

Author

Listed:
  • Kimiko Barrett

    (Headwaters Economics, Bozeman, MT 59715, USA)

  • Keith Bosak

    (Department of Society and Conservation, College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA)

Abstract

This research explores the nexus of climate change and socio-economic change with a focus on the significance that local conditions (physical and cultural) can have in influencing vulnerability and resilience. In order to better examine how climate change impacts interact with socio-economic changes and are experienced at the community scale, this research integrates household survey data with geospatial processing techniques. Two comparative study sites, one rural and one urban, were selected in the region of Ladakh; an area experiencing severe climate change impacts alongside rapid socioeconomic and political changes. Archival data was used to supplement survey responses and provide additional historical context. Survey responses were then combined with Hot Spot and Kernel density analysis in ArcGIS to identify areas of high and low spatial concentration and correlation. While climate change is widely perceived in many Western Himalayan mountain communities, impacts of climate change as an issue of high importance are moderated by other pressing socioeconomic, cultural, and political concerns. The role of locality and place-based themes such as community attachment, social cohesion, and sense of place, emerged as influential factors in enhancing social resilience and thereby reducing dimensions of local vulnerability to climate change impacts.

Suggested Citation

  • Kimiko Barrett & Keith Bosak, 2018. "The Role of Place in Adapting to Climate Change: A Case Study from Ladakh, Western Himalayas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-22, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:4:p:898-:d:137293
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. W. Neil Adger & Jon Barnett & F. S. Chapin & Heidi Ellemor, 2011. "This Must Be the Place: Underrepresentation of Identity and Meaning in Climate Change Decision-Making," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 11(2), pages 1-25, May.
    3. Neil Adger, W., 1999. "Social Vulnerability to Climate Change and Extremes in Coastal Vietnam," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 249-269, February.
    4. Santosh Nepal & Arun Bhakta Shrestha, 2015. "Impact of climate change on the hydrological regime of the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra river basins: a review of the literature," International Journal of Water Resources Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(2), pages 201-218, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ritodhi Chakraborty & Pasang Yangjee Sherpa, 2021. "From climate adaptation to climate justice: Critical reflections on the IPCC and Himalayan climate knowledges," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 167(3), pages 1-14, August.
    2. Vikram S. Negi & Deep C. Tiwari & Laxman Singh & Shinny Thakur & Indra D. Bhatt, 2022. "Review and synthesis of climate change studies in the Himalayan region," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(9), pages 10471-10502, September.

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