Critical Climate Issues in Andhra!

We experienced record drought in Andhra Pradesh earlier this year, missing the first monsoon almost entirely. This created detrimental livelihood issues for farmers, and many of them lost their crops entirely. Through the deeply intertwined nature of human and ecological systems here, this put additional pressure on forests, as households that would normally depend on income from agriculture were forced to turn to collecting and selling fuelwood.

Now, with a record high for rain in the second monsoon, households are suffering in the north of the state, as well as in Karnataka, from flooding. Weak dams have not been able to hold the intense amounts of rain we've received and one after the other has broken, flooding entire villagers and forcing mass displacement of peoples.

While it is quite difficult, if not impossible, to link particular climactic events to the phenomenon of global climate change or global warming, climactic extremes and irregularities are increasingly on the forefront of natural resource management and rural development agendas. Toward this effort, the UN has begun and initiative to study the ways in which vulnerable populations are adapting to these climactic extremes and irregularities: http://unfccc.int/adaptation/items/4159.php. Further, a research framework has been forwarded by imminent natural resource social scientist Arun Agrawal in collaboration with the World Bank: http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTSOCIALDEVELOPMENT/0,,contentMDK:21555832~isCURL:Y~pagePK:210058~piPK:210062~theSitePK:244363,00.html

These efforts are highly important and should be applauded. Yet, much more research and action is needed from the ground to the level of policy on how poor, rural people in the developing world are adjusting, responding, and coping with climate change. This is yet another example of how research, policy, and practice in natural resource management and social development must be coordinated if desired outcomes are reached on either front.