Voices of Change

Environmental change coupled with resource degradation and poverty is creating situations of extreme adversity in several parts of India.
As the impacts of climate change become unequivocal, nature and ecosystems, natural resources and the people who depend on them will become more vulnerable during this century. This will imply less or uncertain availability of food and water, increased variability in the frequency and intensity of natural disasters, loss or migration of species, significant changes in ecosystems and tremendous risk to human populations and their livelihoods. Impacts of climate change are likely to be felt more in developing countries such as India, given the greater reliance of its people on natural resources and ecosystems. In the fragile high altitude Himalayas, these changes cannot escape the notice of the people who have lived there for decades.

Warmer seasons and erratic precipitation have influenced their daily lives in terms of agricultural patterns and produce, clothing, lifestyles, food, livestock and livelihoods. Moreover, incidences of pest attacks and weeds have increased to a great extent. In coastal ecosystems, such as the Sundarbans, direct impacts of human induced climate change can be felt with rising sea levels and increasing salt water incursion on agricultural land and water bodies, threatening life, property, livelihoods, and leaving local communities more vulnerable than ever, as climate refugees. People over generations and even at present, continue to adapt to these environmental changes and develop their own resilience and coping mechanisms. However, due to the rapid and uncertain nature of the changes, old ways of coping are often proving inadequate.

This is a must read report prepared by WWF-India.
Voices of individuals who have witnessed change and are living these changes, of those who are finding ways to survive and move on in the hope of a better future by adapting to climate vulnerabilities and alternative livelihood options. It is to these intrepid individuals who have told their tales and the thousands who are still unheard, that this report is dedicated to. Also to those who are at risk, but are finding new ways and alternatives to tackle change. The capacity for resilience and undaunted hope in the face of adversity shines through all these stories, worthy of being heard and read.
Their lives remind us of how precarious our existence is.


Available at -
http://assests.wwfindia.org/downloads/voices_of_change.pdf