Climate Change And Human Vulnerability: Analyzing Disproportionate Impacts Across Populations
- IJLLR Journal
- Dec 18, 2025
- 2 min read
V. Swati & M. Swathi, Assistant Professor, Vels Institute of Science, Technology & Advanced Studies (VISTAS)
ABSTRACT
Climate change is a global crisis, but its impacts are not equally distributed. Vulnerable populations including Indigenous communities, Small Island Developing States (SIDS), low- income groups, and those dependent on climate-sensitive livelihoods—bear a disproportionate burden. These communities often lack the economic, political, and infrastructural capacity to adapt to environmental shifts, making them especially susceptible to climate-induced hardships.
Indigenous peoples, for instance, are deeply connected to the land and natural resources, both culturally and economically. Climate change exacerbates the difficulties already faced by these groups, including political and economic marginalization, displacement, and the erosion of traditional knowledge systems. In Africa’s Kalahari Desert, Indigenous communities are increasingly forced to live around government-drilled bores for water due to rising temperatures and expanding dunes, leading to heightened dependence on external support and loss of autonomy. Similarly, SIDS such as Tuvalu are on the frontline of the climate crisis. Rising sea levels, tropical cyclones, coral bleaching, and saltwater intrusion threaten not only livelihoods but also the very existence of these nations. Tuvalu, comprising nine low-lying coral islands, has been classified by the United Nations as "extremely vulnerable" to climate change, highlighting the existential risk posed by environmental degradation.
This paper explores how climate change intensifies existing inequalities, disrupts traditional ways of life, and threatens cultural and biological diversity. It underscores the urgent need for climate justice recognizing the unique vulnerabilities of these communities and ensuring their inclusion in global and national policy responses. Adaptation strategies must be locally grounded, culturally sensitive, and supported by robust financial and technological aid from the international community. Without immediate action, climate change will continue to widen the gap between the resilient and the vulnerable, turning an environmental issue into an even deeper social crisis.
Keywords: extremely vulnerable, global crisis, national policy, environmental issue, climate crisis.
