Renu Gangwar, Anil Kumar Singh, D.K. Singh, Akanksha Tiwari and Prakash Yadav
Abstract
Social vulnerability refers to the susceptibility of individuals, communities and societies to harm from various hazards and their capacity to cope with, recover from or prevent such harm. Social vulnerability to climate change is increasingly being observed in developing countries like India. Climate change severely impacts on the natural and socio-economic systems of developing countries. The objective of this paper is to review a conceptual model of social vulnerability to climate change and understanding the social and economic processes which facilitate and adaptation strategies. Vulnerability is the state of individuals, groups, communities defined in terms of their ability to cope with and adapt to any external stress placed on their livelihoods and well-being. The vulnerability or security of any group is determined by the availability of resources and crucially by the entitlement of individuals and groups to call on these resources. This perspective extends the concept of entitlements developed within neo-classical and institutional economics. Factors like linkages with village level institutions, level of social participation, linkages with non-governmental organization, peer group networks, gender disparities and employment, security in self-employment, mass media exposure, media ownership also plays a major role in reducing social vulnerability regarding climate change and adaptation strategies.