Climate change, monsoon failures and inequality of impacts in South India

Hulya Dagdeviren, Arthanari Elangovan, Ramanathan Parimalavelli

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This article examines the structural aspects of climate vulnerabilities in the context of monsoon failures. The paper is based on a unique household survey, conducted in Tamil Nadu, India. The study uses a rural differentiation framework to interrogate unequal vulnerabilities to monsoon failures, based on measures such as Gini coefficients and Lorenz curves of monetary losses. Results show that negative consequences of climate change in general, and monsoon failures in particular, intensify pre-existing socio-economic disparities. When the rural differentiation theory is applied in a broader sense, the analysis shows that landed and farming households have greater exposure and losses. When we move beyond these aggregate categories, the revelation is that households with pre-existing disadvantages such as marginal landholders, subsistence farmers and agricultural workers are more vulnerable.
Original languageEnglish
Article number113555
Number of pages11
JournalJournal of Environmental Management
Volume299
Early online date8 Sept 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Dec 2021

Keywords

  • Climate change
  • Exposure
  • India
  • Loss
  • Monsoon failures
  • Rural differentiation

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Climate change, monsoon failures and inequality of impacts in South India'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this