South Asian stories of climate resilience

Abstract

South Asian countries are faced with the dual challenge of building resilience against climate change impacts and advancing the goals of sustainable development. Recent developments in community-based adaptation initiatives offer pathways to address both these challenges. While global initiatives to forge climate change agreements, curb greenhouse gas emissions, and build adaptive capacity have been slow, creative local initiatives have been emerging throughout developing countries. South Asia, a climate impact hotspot, has been experiencing the wrath of nature for decades and become a hotbed of novel initiatives that integrate traditional and scientific knowledge through multilevel partnerships between local communities, non-profit organizations, academic and research institutions, local and national government, and international organizations. This introductory chapter highlights the works of 59 scholars-predominantly from the region-that tell stories, research findings and innovative grassroots solutions from seven South Asian countries through a unique partnership for co-creation and sharing of knowledge on climate adaptation and community resilience.