ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights that India is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change as India has a large area in highly vulnerable regions such as coastal zones, mountains and dry lands, and vulnerability in these regions was compounded by underdevelopment and a large population dependent on rain-fed agriculture. It also presents a theoretical framework that underpinned on identifying overlapping hotspots for migration and global environmental change. The concept of vulnerability is central to the theoretical framework. The concept of vulnerability is defined as the likelihood that an individual or group exposed to the adverse impact of climate change and their capacity to adjust to it. The theoretical framework consisted of a series of variables – exposure to climate change; the underlying socioeconomic conditions; external drivers such as globalization, political factors and conflicts – that either singularly or in combination influences the vulnerability of communities leading to mobility outcomes as a livelihood strategy. The framework views vulnerability as the net outcome of interaction between climate change stress and the socio-economic capacity to adapt. Migration is one of the potential means of adaption to climate change. The study examines the pattern of migration in relation to the exposure of Indian agriculture to the impacts of climate change and globalization. On the other hand, coastal states are more urbanized and some of them are net inmigrating states. It is estimated that a population of about 73 million live in the low elevation coastal zone (the area located between 0 and 10 metres above sea level) comprising about 3 per cent of the land area and 6 per cent of India’s population. The study demonstrated that high inmigration and high biophysical vulnerability overlap in the case of coastal regions. In dry land regions that are characterized by high biophysical vulnerability, the matrix indicated that there is very high outmigration as well. Thus, it is essential to take into account the migration outcome of climate change, its role in promoting adaption and resilience in the areas of origin.
