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Local Knowledge for Addressing Climate Change Risks at Local Level: A Case Study from Nepal

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Identifying Emerging Issues in Disaster Risk Reduction, Migration, Climate Change and Sustainable Development

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Abstract

Nepal experiences a wide range of climatic variations from sub-tropical to alpine as the elevation increases from ~70 m above sea level (m.a.s.l) in the south to 8848 m.a.s.l. within a short aerial distance of about 200 km. Previous studies of weather variability, mainly temperature and precipitation over the past decade in Nepal, indicate that there is consistent increase in maximum temperatures and intensity of monsoonal rainfall. The implications of climate change are now visible when considering the availability of water and energy, agricultural products, natural resources, human health, biodiversity and the increased frequency of extreme events in terms of floods and landslides, extended droughts, and heat/cold waves.

A case study was carried out in three districts which cover most of the ecological regions (Mountain, Hill, and Terai) of Nepal. The study revealed that weak economic conditions, poor governance, low technological capacities, high levels of out-migration, and low levels of climate change awareness are common at the local level. The cumulative effects of climate change have been observed in the livelihoods of vulnerable communities and ecosystems, while mainstreaming climate change adaptation into local development planning is not well practiced to date.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. FEED (P) Ltd., Jhamsikhel, Lalitpur, Nepal

    Sanjaya Devkota

  2. Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University, Pulchok Campus, Kathmandu, Nepal

    Sanjaya Devkota & Ajay Chandra Lal

Authors
  1. Sanjaya Devkota
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  2. Ajay Chandra Lal
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sanjaya Devkota .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Risk-group - Institute of Earth Sciences Faculty of Geosciences and Environment, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Karen Sudmeier-Rieux

  2. Institute of Geography and Sustainability Faculty of Geosciences and Environment, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Manuela Fernández

  3. Geological Survey of Norway, Trondheim, Norway

    Ivanna M. Penna

  4. Risk-group - Institute of Earth Sciences Faculty of Geosciences and Environment, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Michel Jaboyedoff

  5. School of Environment, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

    J.C. Gaillard

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Devkota, S., Lal, A.C. (2017). Local Knowledge for Addressing Climate Change Risks at Local Level: A Case Study from Nepal. In: Sudmeier-Rieux, K., Fernández, M., Penna, I., Jaboyedoff, M., Gaillard, J. (eds) Identifying Emerging Issues in Disaster Risk Reduction, Migration, Climate Change and Sustainable Development. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33880-4_13

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