2
N. Roy et al.
also at micro levels (MA 2005). The pace and pattern of the changing climate is not
only resulting in degraded ecosystems but also threatening to severely test mankind’s
ability to adapt to them thereby presenting challenges in social, economic, ecological
as well as biological fronts (IPCC 2014). Ability of marginalized communities living
in susceptible areas to cope up depends on the internal structure of their social
systems (Raju et al. 2017). Differential vulnerabilities of individuals, groups and
societies vary according to the characteristics of the area which may be understood
better in terms of the socio-economic engagements (agriculture, industry, tourism,
transport, consumption, lifestyle), eco-biological (evolution of flora and fauna, living
condition of populations, territory) and cultural (values and perceptions of trends on
conservation and sustainability) indicators acting as a catalyst for the development of
holistic and comprehensive plans for adaptation to climatic changes for sustainable
use and conservation of natural resources (Lopez and Pardo 2018).
Factors such as land use changes and anthropogenic emissions of green house
gases over the last two hundred years are new causes for concern (IPCC 2007). Surface temperature of earth is projected to rise over the 21st century with a higher frequency and longer duration of heat waves as well as occasional cold winter extremes.
The ocean will continue to warm and acidify, and global mean sea level will rise. This
unprecedented scale of climatic variation poses a great threat to natural resources
globally making the environmental, human and financial cost unbearable (UN 2014).
It has the potential to manifest at multiple levels impacting multiple sectors not only
by intensifying existing risks but also by generating additional risks for natural and
human systems (IPCC 2014). At the regional level, rise in temperatures in the Arctic
increases the wildfires causing loss of tree cover in Arctic and sub-Arctic forests,
whereas at more moderate latitudes shifting rainfall patterns affect land use, water
and food security. Arid and semiarid conditions also expand northward making agriculture more difficult at low latitudes. At local levels, changing weather and precipitation patterns can increase large scale flooding and possibly droughts and storms
(Emanuel 2005), affect agricultural potential posing a challenge to food and water
security (Milly et al. 2002), influence household practices and vector borne diseases,
including secondary affect such as desertification, famine and conflicts (Gupta et al.
2007; IPCC 2007; Harris 2018).
Population growth has a direct influence on depletion of natural resources. Due to
environmental variability, natural resources are compromised and are already shrinking. Rapid population rise has a negative impact on human development, provision
of essential services and poverty alleviation. It also causes a significant increase in
demand often leading to mismanagement of key resources (Stephenson et al. 2010).
In fact, the scale of the human footprint has grown to the extent that human economic activity has the power to influence major planetary systems. An expected rise
in global population by more than 2 billion people between 2010 and 2050 will put
additional pressure on the natural resources that are finite. Rapid population growth
also generates vast quantities of non-biodegradable waste, drives deforestation and
produces massive amounts of CO 2 thereby putting enormous pressure on key natural
resources, such as clean air, water, fuel, soil fertility, weather, and myriad ecosystem services. Increased rate of consumption tend to use the resources quicker than
N. Roy et al.
also at micro levels (MA 2005). The pace and pattern of the changing climate is not
only resulting in degraded ecosystems but also threatening to severely test mankind’s
ability to adapt to them thereby presenting challenges in social, economic, ecological
as well as biological fronts (IPCC 2014). Ability of marginalized communities living
in susceptible areas to cope up depends on the internal structure of their social
systems (Raju et al. 2017). Differential vulnerabilities of individuals, groups and
societies vary according to the characteristics of the area which may be understood
better in terms of the socio-economic engagements (agriculture, industry, tourism,
transport, consumption, lifestyle), eco-biological (evolution of flora and fauna, living
condition of populations, territory) and cultural (values and perceptions of trends on
conservation and sustainability) indicators acting as a catalyst for the development of
holistic and comprehensive plans for adaptation to climatic changes for sustainable
use and conservation of natural resources (Lopez and Pardo 2018).
Factors such as land use changes and anthropogenic emissions of green house
gases over the last two hundred years are new causes for concern (IPCC 2007). Surface temperature of earth is projected to rise over the 21st century with a higher frequency and longer duration of heat waves as well as occasional cold winter extremes.
The ocean will continue to warm and acidify, and global mean sea level will rise. This
unprecedented scale of climatic variation poses a great threat to natural resources
globally making the environmental, human and financial cost unbearable (UN 2014).
It has the potential to manifest at multiple levels impacting multiple sectors not only
by intensifying existing risks but also by generating additional risks for natural and
human systems (IPCC 2014). At the regional level, rise in temperatures in the Arctic
increases the wildfires causing loss of tree cover in Arctic and sub-Arctic forests,
whereas at more moderate latitudes shifting rainfall patterns affect land use, water
and food security. Arid and semiarid conditions also expand northward making agriculture more difficult at low latitudes. At local levels, changing weather and precipitation patterns can increase large scale flooding and possibly droughts and storms
(Emanuel 2005), affect agricultural potential posing a challenge to food and water
security (Milly et al. 2002), influence household practices and vector borne diseases,
including secondary affect such as desertification, famine and conflicts (Gupta et al.
2007; IPCC 2007; Harris 2018).
Population growth has a direct influence on depletion of natural resources. Due to
environmental variability, natural resources are compromised and are already shrinking. Rapid population rise has a negative impact on human development, provision
of essential services and poverty alleviation. It also causes a significant increase in
demand often leading to mismanagement of key resources (Stephenson et al. 2010).
In fact, the scale of the human footprint has grown to the extent that human economic activity has the power to influence major planetary systems. An expected rise
in global population by more than 2 billion people between 2010 and 2050 will put
additional pressure on the natural resources that are finite. Rapid population growth
also generates vast quantities of non-biodegradable waste, drives deforestation and
produces massive amounts of CO 2 thereby putting enormous pressure on key natural
resources, such as clean air, water, fuel, soil fertility, weather, and myriad ecosystem services. Increased rate of consumption tend to use the resources quicker than