ABSTRACT
The Kerala coast presents a unique study of the impact of climate change on tropical ecologies of South Asia. Located between mountains and the sea, the fragile balance between human habitats and extreme weather events is causing chaos in the region. This essay explores the connections between indigenous environmental ethics and the historical context of colonialism and post-independence urban growth. It juxtaposes ethical and lived relationships of coastal peoples of the Malabar eking sustenance between land and sea, alongside the personal, the codified, and the emergent histories of coastal communities under climate change. The Malabar is a powerful example of low-lying regions of the global South being impacted by inadequate mitigation efforts in the global North.
