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1 by Virginie Le Masson Exploring Disaster Risk Reduction And Exploring Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation from a gender perspective Insights from Ladakh, India. A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Virginie Le Masson Brunel University 1 A thesis submitted to the School of Health Sciences and Social Care of Brunel University in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Virginie Anne Claire Le Masson Centre for Human Geography School of Health Sciences and Social Care Brunel University West London United Kingdom March 2013 © This copy of the thesis has been supplied on conditions that anyone who consults it is understood to recognise that its copyright rests with the author and that no quotation from the thesis, nor any information derived there from, may be published without the author's prior, written consent. 2 ABSTRACT Both Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) aim at reducing the vulnerabilities and enhancing the capacities of men and women when facing natural hazards and climate change. Despite conceptual bridges existing between both sectors, the literature suggests a lack of practical integration of objectives and approaches in the design and implementation of climate change-related and DRR initiatives as well as a lack of attention to gender issues. In parallel, studies repeatedly stress the necessity to (i) provide more empirical studies that re-contextualise climate change as just one of many issues faced on a daily basis by local communities, and (ii) emphasise the gender dimension of vulnerability to understand differences between men’s and women’s realities in relation to disasters and climate change. This research explores the local dimension of the (lack of) integration of DRR and CCA through using gender as a lens. It uses the case study of the Himalayan province of Ladakh in India where the predicted impacts of climate change could seriously undermine inhabitants’ access to water. Embedded within the theoretical frames of DRR and feminist political ecology, this research draws on concepts of gender, marginalisation, vulnerability and capacity in order to understand the local impacts of environmental degradation and the implications for policies and development projects. When analysing the ways in which Ladakhi communities experience climate change and natural hazards in relation to their everyday risks, the vulnerability and capacity assessment conducted in this research shows that men and women face different everyday constraints which shape their views of their environment. The gender sensitive methodology and analysis also contribute to focus the attention away from hazards to emphasise the way people’s vulnerabilities are inherently linked to unsustainable development which stresses the importance of designing integrated responses. Yet, when examining current interventions to tackle disaster risk and climate change in relation to Ladakhi communities’ contexts, priorities and needs, a focus on gender and DRR highlights the gap between theories, policies and practices. Evidence from Ladakh contributes to show the dichotomy between the ineffectiveness of top-down interventions targeting climate change and disasters, and the gendered experiences of local communities in the face of a multitude of everyday risks that extend beyond climate change and natural hazards. Current DRR and CCA policies and projects reproduce a dominant focus on hazards and do not challenge established development models that are male-dominated and which promote people’s (and disproportionately women’s) vulnerability. However, development interventions, in the context of Ladakh, appear more adequate to improve people’s livelihoods with greater scope for inputs from the community level, which contribute to enhancing their capacities. Therefore, this thesis argues that emphasis should be placed on sustainable development practices in order to better address disaster risk and climate change as well as communities’ everyday risks. It finally underscores the need to recognise and assess the interconnection of different structures and their impacts on people’s daily lives at the onset of development strategies and to ensure that these are part of a sustainable, holistic and integrated approach to reducing vulnerability. 3 RESUME L’objectif commun de la Réduction des Risques de Catastrophes (RRC) et de l’Adaptation au Changement Climatique (ACC) est de réduire la vulnérabilité et de renforcer les capacités des hommes et des femmes exposés aux aléas naturels et aux changements climatiques. Malgré les similitudes conceptuelles entre ces deux secteurs, la littérature suggère un manque d’intégration des objectifs et des approches dans la conception et la mise en en œuvre des interventions de RRC et de ACC ainsi qu’un manque d’attention aux perspectives de genre. En parallèle, les études insistent sur la nécéssité de (a) conduire des recherches empiriques qui illustrent la spécificité locale du changement climatique par rapport à d’autres contraintes quotidiennes vécues par les populations ainsi que de (b) souligner la dimension du genre dans la vulnerabilité afin de mieux comprendre comment les risques de catastrophes et le changement climatique sont vécus par les hommes et les femmes. Ce travail de recherche explore la dimension locale de l’intégration des stratégies de RRC et ACC à travers une perspective de genre et en utilisant la région Himalayenne du Ladakh en Inde septentrionale comme cas d’étude. A travers le cadre théorique de la RRC et de l’écologie politique féministe, cette thèse se penche sur les concepts de genre, marginalité, vulnérabilité et capacité pour comprendre les impacts des risques environmentaux dans le quotidien des communautés locales et explorer les implications pour les politiques et les projets de dévelopment. L’évaluation des vulnérabilités et des capacités des communautés ladakhies permet de mettre en exergue les contraintes vécues différemment par les hommes et les femmes. La méthodologie et l’analyse de genre utilisées dans cette recherche contribuent à souligner que les facteurs de vulnérabilité et de capacité face aux aléas naturels sont les mêmes que ceux face au changement climatique. La vulnérabilité des hommes et des femmes est intrinsèquement liée aux problèmes de dévelopment et de pauvreté qui touchent les groupes les plus marginalisés en premier lieu, d’où la nécessité de développer des politiques et des projets de RRC et de ACC intégrés. Pourtant, l’analyse des stratégies actuelles en matière de RRC et ACC au Ladakh indique qu’elles apparaissent en décalage avec le contexte, les besoins et les priorités des communautés locales. Les données empiriques soulignent la dichotomie entre l’efficacité relative des interventions centralisées et technocratiques pour prévenir le risque en amont et le quotidien des populations locales faisant face à des problèmes liés à l’environment mais aussi à leurs moyens de subsistence et à leur accès aux services de base. Les stratégies de gestion des risques reproduisent une approche centrée sur l’aléa plutôt que sur les causes de la vulnérabilité des hommes, mais en particulier des femmes, qui contribuent à transformer les aléas naturels et les impacts du changement climatique en catastrophes. En revanche, les pratiques de développement au Ladakh se concentrent, elles, sur l’amélioration des moyens de subsistence des individus et des foyers les plus marginalisés. Elles apparaissent donc plus en adéquation avec une perspective de renforcement des capacités pour mieux prévenir les risques de catastrophe. Les résultats de cette recherche suggèrent en conséquence d’appuyer en premier lieu les pratiques de développement afin de mieux réduire les risques de catastrophes liés ou non au changement climatique, plutôt que de focaliser sur les approches de RRC et de ACC qui ignorent ou sous-estiment la vulnérabilité et le genre. Il convient également de reconnaître et d’étudier systématiquement l’intéraction du changement climatique avec les différentes structures sociétales telles les inégalités économiques, les mutations sociales, la globalisation, la corruption, etc., qui impactent sur le quotidien et la vulnérabilité des communautés et sont considérées comme étant plus problématiques par ceux qui y sont principalement confrontés. 4 CONTENTS List of Figures, Tables, Graphs and Boxes ............................................................................10 Acknowledgments ...............................................................................................................13 Author’s declaration ............................................................................................................15 Acronyms .............................................................................................................................16 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................18 1.1 The 2010 flood in Ladakh, India ........................................................................................ 18 1.2 The development of disaster paradigms ........................................................................... 20 1.3 Linkages between disasters and climate change ............................................................... 23 1.4 The gender dimension of disasters and climate change .................................................... 26 1.5 Research objectives and outline of the thesis ..................................................................
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