1 Introduction
Vulnerability to natural hazards varies widely across communities, sectors and
regions. The socio-economic vulnerability is determined by the internal structure of
any social system that decides sensitivity of societies and communities to the
incidence of hazards. The internal structure also helps to cope with damages from
external shocks. It poses the important research question as to why there are different levels of vulnerability within a particular society, even in the context of
similar hazards. The possible answer may be that the individuals and groups differ
in terms of equality, entitlement capacity, institutions, political and cultural aspects
that are responsible factors for the differential vulnerability. For example,
marginalized communities are forced to live in susceptible regions that exposes
them to floods/droughts and different diseases as compared to other people.
2 Vulnerability
A growing body of literature over the past two decades has identified climate
change as the prime issue to global environmental degradation, and has analyzed
the associated vulnerability and biodiversity loss (IPCC 2007). According to Fussel
(2007), climate related vulnerability assessments are based on the characteristics of
the vulnerable system spanning over physical, economic and social factors. The
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in its Second Assessment
Report (IPCC 1996), defines vulnerability as “the extent to which climate change
may damage or harm a system.” It adds that vulnerability “depends not only on a
system’s sensitivity, but also on its ability to adapt to new climatic conditions”; and
vulnerability depends on the level of economic development and institutions.
Watson et al. (1996) argued that socio-economic systems “typically are more
vulnerable in developing countries where economic and institutional circumstances
are less favourable”. In addition, social scientists tend to view vulnerability as
representing the set of socio-economic factors that determine people’s ability to
cope with stress or change (Allen 2003) while climate scientists often view vulnerability in terms of the likelihood of occurrence and impacts of weather and
climate related events (Nicholls et al. 1999).
IPCC defines vulnerability in terms of systems as “the degree to which a system
is susceptible to, or unable to cope with, adverse effects of climate change,
including climate variability and extremes” (IPCC 2007). Vulnerability is a function of the character, magnitude and rate of climate variation to which a system is
exposed, its sensitivity and its adaptive capacity (IPCC 2007).
It is well understood that poor people in the poorest countries are the most
vulnerable to the impacts of anthropogenic climate change (Stern et al. 2006). The
poor are adversely impacted by climate change because they live in heavily
impacted countries and locations within those countries; depend on natural
162
K.V. Raju et al.
Vulnerability to natural hazards varies widely across communities, sectors and
regions. The socio-economic vulnerability is determined by the internal structure of
any social system that decides sensitivity of societies and communities to the
incidence of hazards. The internal structure also helps to cope with damages from
external shocks. It poses the important research question as to why there are different levels of vulnerability within a particular society, even in the context of
similar hazards. The possible answer may be that the individuals and groups differ
in terms of equality, entitlement capacity, institutions, political and cultural aspects
that are responsible factors for the differential vulnerability. For example,
marginalized communities are forced to live in susceptible regions that exposes
them to floods/droughts and different diseases as compared to other people.
2 Vulnerability
A growing body of literature over the past two decades has identified climate
change as the prime issue to global environmental degradation, and has analyzed
the associated vulnerability and biodiversity loss (IPCC 2007). According to Fussel
(2007), climate related vulnerability assessments are based on the characteristics of
the vulnerable system spanning over physical, economic and social factors. The
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in its Second Assessment
Report (IPCC 1996), defines vulnerability as “the extent to which climate change
may damage or harm a system.” It adds that vulnerability “depends not only on a
system’s sensitivity, but also on its ability to adapt to new climatic conditions”; and
vulnerability depends on the level of economic development and institutions.
Watson et al. (1996) argued that socio-economic systems “typically are more
vulnerable in developing countries where economic and institutional circumstances
are less favourable”. In addition, social scientists tend to view vulnerability as
representing the set of socio-economic factors that determine people’s ability to
cope with stress or change (Allen 2003) while climate scientists often view vulnerability in terms of the likelihood of occurrence and impacts of weather and
climate related events (Nicholls et al. 1999).
IPCC defines vulnerability in terms of systems as “the degree to which a system
is susceptible to, or unable to cope with, adverse effects of climate change,
including climate variability and extremes” (IPCC 2007). Vulnerability is a function of the character, magnitude and rate of climate variation to which a system is
exposed, its sensitivity and its adaptive capacity (IPCC 2007).
It is well understood that poor people in the poorest countries are the most
vulnerable to the impacts of anthropogenic climate change (Stern et al. 2006). The
poor are adversely impacted by climate change because they live in heavily
impacted countries and locations within those countries; depend on natural
162
K.V. Raju et al.