Background

This project is a part of the Indo-UK program on Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation – Phase II. The second phase of the collaborative research program follows a major assessment of the impact of climate change on India carried out by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra formerly, but now known as the Department of Energy and Climate Change or DECC) and the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF). The projects were envisioned to develop improved scenarios for predicting the climate impact up to 2050.

Under this program, two regional projects are being executed in Orissa and Madhya Pradesh, to assess the impact and vulnerability of the community to climate change, and to develop the adaptation options. The consortium includes highly reputed academic and research institutions such as Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) Pune' Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi and Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad.

Objective

WII is leading a consortium of state partners in Orissa, in order to implement this project which aims to enhance the resilience and coping capacity of selected vulnerable communities to the impacts of climate variability and change (floods, cyclones and sea level rise) and to assess vulnerability and adaptation to the impacts of climate change variability and change in coastal Orissa.

Approach

The project had identified two natural hazards: floods and cyclones. The project focused on seven districts of Orissa, of which four were coastal. The data collection using quantitative (survey and field level) and qualitative (rapid rural appraisal using vulnerability & capacity framework, key informant interviews and shared learning dialogues with different stakeholders) measures was carried out with the help of state partners. The survey results, combined with the secondary data, were used to identify, quantify and develop vulnerability indicators on demographics, climate, extent of damage, agriculture including fisheries, livelihood, infrastructure, inequality and poverty, health and nutrition, and insurance.

These results were further integrated with the future climate projections and socio-economic projections made available by the consortium partners such as IITM Pune, IIM Ahmedabad and IIT Delhi; leading up to the development of the adaptation framework for the state of Orissa.

Concluding Remarks

As an outcome of the study, the relationship representing the shift of low and medium vulnerable communities towards the higher vulnerability level has been established. It is a given fact that high climate variability and socio-economic changes in the region will further stimulate the process. A number of factors are involved in establishing this relationship, including the social and economic distribution, education levels, patterns of livelihood activities pursued, land holding, trends of migration, access to information and services, access to financial services, traditional coping practices, etc. Each of these factors is intricately linked with each other, and cannot be adjudged in solitude.

The way ahead

The study also reiterates the importance of micro-level vulnerability assessments at the village level to facilitate the micro-level planning and identification of village level vulnerable groups. Consideration of only the BPL criteria or SC/ST criteria for planning and implementation of various government schemes does not help to address the population's vulnerability-based needs.

Executive Summary