South Asia's Hotspots

South Asia's Hotspots
Author: Muthukumara Mani
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 185
Release: 2018-07-12
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1464811563

South Asia is particularly vulnerable to climate change. Most previous studies have focused on the projected impacts of sea-level rise or extreme weather - droughts, floods, heatwaves and storm surges. This study adds to that knowledge by identifying the impacts of long-term changes in the climate †“ rising temperatures and changes in precipitation patterns †“ on living standards. It does so by first building an understanding of the relationship between current climate conditions and living standards across South Asia. The study also identifies the set of climate models that are best suited for projecting long-term changes in climate across South Asia. This novel understanding of living standards and climate change is then combined to project impacts of long-term changes in climate on living standards in South Asia. The study finds that higher temperatures will reduce living standards for most of South Asia, with the severity impacts depending on future global greenhouse gas emissions. The study projects “hotspots†?, which are locations where long-term changes in climate will have negative impacts on living standards. Many hotspots are in locations that hitherto have not been identified as particularly vulnerable to climate change. Moreover, hotspots have distinguishing features that vary from country to country. This detailed assessment provides a mosaic of information that enriches our understanding of how climate change will impact people and which populations are most vulnerable. The report also provides guidance on the kinds of actions are most likely to reduce impacts of climate change in each country. The study is a major contribution to our understanding of how increasing temperatures and changing precipitation patterns interact with social and economic structures at a fine granular level across South Asia.

Vulnerable South Asia

Vulnerable South Asia
Author: Pallavi Rastogi
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 183
Release: 2021-05-13
Genre: Literary Collections
ISBN: 1000197239

This innovatively organized volume brings together reflections on crisis and community in South Asia by some of the most important authors and scholars writing about the Indian subcontinent today. The various pieces, including the foreword, the poetic interludes, the nine different essays on a range of topics, as well as the afterword, all seek to understand the precarious state of our planet and its population, and the ways to resist – through both writing and teaching – the forces that render us vulnerable; to create "care communities" in which we look out for, and after, each other on egalitarian rather than authoritarian terms. Turning to literary and cultural criticism in precarious times reveals the immense value of the humanities, including volumes such as this one. This collection is a significant intervention in the on-going global conversation on precarity, vulnerability, and suffering, not only because these issues have preoccupied the human race through the ages, but also because our present moment – the now – is characterized by pervasive hazard that writers, readers, teachers, and humanists must call out, talk and write about, and thus resist. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the journal South Asian Review.

Women and Disasters in South Asia

Women and Disasters in South Asia
Author: Linda Racioppi
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 266
Release: 2016-04-14
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1317307593

South Asia is one of the most vulnerable areas of an increasingly disaster-impacted world, with cyclones, earthquakes, floods and droughts causing several casualties and disrupting lives and livelihoods every year. Yet the impacts of disasters are not equally distributed across the peoples of the region.Women and men experience disaster differently, and their needs in the aftermath of disaster often differ. Bringing together perspectives from academics, emergency response specialists and development practitioners, the volume investigates to what extent and in what ways gender affects the course of post-disaster reconstruction. Conversely, it also explores in what ways gender politics may be altered by disaster and post-disaster reconstruction. The study includes: a comprehensive overview of key issues facing women and men, as gendered beings, in reconstruction and development; a targeted observation of specific South Asian disaster contexts; and a sustained discussion of case studies and their implications and lessons. This book will interest scholars and researchers of disaster management, rehabilitation studies, gender, environment, ecology and sociology. It will also be useful to institutions dealing with natural and man-made disasters, non-governmental organisations and disaster recovery professionals.

Living with Floods in a Mobile Southeast Asia

Living with Floods in a Mobile Southeast Asia
Author: Carl Middleton
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 209
Release: 2017-11-02
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1317645162

This book contributes to a better understanding of the relationship between migration, vulnerability, resilience and social justice associated with flooding across diverse environmental, social and policy contexts in Southeast Asia. It challenges simple analyses of flooding as a singular driver of migration, and instead considers the ways in which floods figure in migration-based livelihoods and amongst already mobile populations. The book develops a conceptual framework based on a ‘mobile political ecology’ in which particular attention is paid to the multidimensionality, temporalities and geographies of vulnerability. Rather than simply emphasising the capacities (or lack thereof) of individuals and households, the focus is on identifying factors that instigate, manage and perpetuate vulnerable populations and places: these include the sociopolitical dynamics of floods, flood hazards and risky environments, migration and migrant-based livelihoods and the policy environments through which all of these take shape. The book is organised around a series of eight empirical urban and rural case studies from countries in Southeast Asia, where lives are marked by mobility and by floods associated with the region’s monsoonal climate. The concluding chapter synthesises the insights of the case studies, and suggests future policy directions. Together, the chapters highlight critical policy questions around the governance of migration, institutionalised disaster response strategies and broader development agendas.

Climate Change and Food Security in South Asia

Climate Change and Food Security in South Asia
Author: Rattan Lal
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 601
Release: 2010-10-17
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9048195160

This book addresses an important topic of food security in South Asia with specific reference to climate change. Of the 1 billion food insecure people in the world, more than 30% are in South Asia. The problem of food insecurity may be exacerbated by the projected climate change especially because of the water scarcity caused by rapid melting of the glaciers in the Himalayas and increase in variability in monsoonal rains and frequency of extreme events. Furthermore, large populations of Bangladesh and other coastal regions may be displaced by sea level rise. Thus, this volume addresses recommended land use and soil/water/crop/vegetation management practices which would enable land managers to adapt to climate disruption by enhancing soil/ecosystem/social resilience. In addition to biophysical factors, this book also addresses the issues related to human dimensions including social, ethnical and political considerations.

South Asia and Climate Change

South Asia and Climate Change
Author: Mausumi Kar
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 267
Release: 2021-07-15
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1000409805

This book provides a comprehensive and interdisciplinary examination of the diverse aspects of climate change in South Asia. The region, home to almost 4% of the world’s population, is under serious threat from climatic disasters. The volume underscores the urgency of addressing cataclysmic events related to climate change and their ramifications on the economy, agriculture and livelihoods of the region. The book discusses the reasons causing climate change as well as highlights normative and ethical considerations involved in the battle against climate change. With case studies from India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, it explores issues such as extreme climatic events; energy use, fossil fuels, non-renewable resources and carbon dioxide emission in South Asia; internal migration and climate refugees; the ethical dilemma of sustainable development; technological advancements for extreme weather forecast; and responses to climate change in South Asia. Highlighting the need for striking a balance between developmental imperatives and environmental sustainability, the chapters also show the North-South divide in the research agenda and policies on climate change and the global politics that underlie climate policies. The volume juxtaposes a scientific analysis of factors responsible for climate change with an analysis of the human cost of climate change from the perspective of social sciences. It discusses the challenges faced by developing countries while also offering recommendations and solutions. This book will be of interest to scholars and researchers of climate studies, geography, public policy and governance, sustainable development, development studies, environmental studies, political studies, international relations, political economy, economics and sociology. It will also be useful to practitioners, thinktanks, policymakers and civil society organisations working on environmental management.

A Region at Risk

A Region at Risk
Author: Asian Development Bank
Publisher: Asian Development Bank
Total Pages: 329
Release: 2017-07-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9292578529

Asia and the Pacific continues to be exposed to climate change impacts. Home to the majority of the world's poor, the population of the region is particularly vulnerable to those impacts. Unabated warming could largely diminish previous achievements of economic development and improvements, putting the future of the region at risk. Read the most recent projections pertaining to climate change and climate change impacts in Asia and the Pacific, and the consequences of these changes to human systems, particularly for developing countries. This report also highlights gaps in the existing knowledge and identifies avenues for continued research.

Unruly Waters

Unruly Waters
Author: Sunil Amrith
Publisher: Basic Books
Total Pages: 401
Release: 2018-12-11
Genre: History
ISBN: 0465097731

From a MacArthur "Genius," a bold new perspective on the history of Asia, highlighting the long quest to tame its waters Asia's history has been shaped by her waters. In Unruly Waters, historian Sunil Amrith reimagines Asia's history through the stories of its rains, rivers, coasts, and seas -- and of the weather-watchers and engineers, mapmakers and farmers who have sought to control them. Looking out from India, he shows how dreams and fears of water shaped visions of political independence and economic development, provoked efforts to reshape nature through dams and pumps, and unleashed powerful tensions within and between nations. Today, Asian nations are racing to construct hundreds of dams in the Himalayas, with dire environmental impacts; hundreds of millions crowd into coastal cities threatened by cyclones and storm surges. In an age of climate change, Unruly Waters is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand Asia's past and its future.

Contemporary Issues in South Asia

Contemporary Issues in South Asia
Author: Gagandeep Sharma
Publisher:
Total Pages: 342
Release: 2020
Genre: Economic development
ISBN: 9781536176438

The problems of the South Asian region are different from those in the developed world. The region is characterised by rapidly changing socioeconomic scenario, fast-increasing urbanization and longevity, changes in dietary patterns and decrease in mortality from infectious diseases. Drought, cyclones, floods, rural poverty and deprivation push rural population to flock to cities. Therefore, urbanization can be viewed as a consequence of these factors rather than the result of economic growth. This leads to environmental degradation, poverty and growth of urban slums. Rapidly growing population along with the rapid pace of urbanization and industrialisation puts pressure on the scarce resources including arable land. The food needs of the growing population has entailed considerable damage, including depletion and degradation of natural resources and unsustainable use of land and water resources. The lack of investment in human development indicators, namely education and health, has contributed to underdevelopment of these regions. This makes them vulnerable to the negative consequences of globalization.The book "Contemporary Issues in South Asia" provides insight into human problems, the capitalistic system that has caused irreversible damage to human existence, ideology given by Guru Nanak, the relationship between the human development index and its indicators, the current state of e-government development within South Asian countries, the link between governance structure and web-based reporting of financial and non-financial information, the illegal migration from Bangladesh to India, the geostrategy of Sri Lanka, the workplace diversity and the role of management to eliminate factors leading to occupational stress, the rising environmental concerns that have influenced business firms and the concept of green GDP.The book seeks to address the emerging issues of the South Asian countries, namely Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives, by presenting research and analysis, which are both cross-sectional and multi-disciplinary. The book aims to create a research space to explore the emerging multi-dimensional issues and shall benefit the researchers working on South Asia and South Asian Diasporas in the post-colonial era. The book encourages the development of future research agendas across arts and social sciences disciplines based on the South Asian region.

Connecting South Asia and Southeast Asia

Connecting South Asia and Southeast Asia
Author: ADBI
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2016-03-08
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 4899740484

This report analyzes how closer regional connectivity and economic integration between South Asia and Southeast Asia can benefit both regions, with a focus on the role played by infrastructure and public policies in facilitating this process. It examines major developments in South Asian–Southeast Asian trade and investment, economic cooperation, the role of economic corridors, and regional cooperation initiatives. In particular, it identifies significant opportunities for strengthening these integration efforts as a result of the recent opening up of Myanmar in political, economic, and financial terms. This is particularly the case for land-based transportation—highways and railroads—and energy trading. The report’s focus is on connectivity in a broad sense, covering both hardware and software, including investment in infrastructure, energy trading, trade facilitation, investment financing, and support for national and regional policies.