Cha, J. Mijin --- "Changing climate and changing rights: exploring legal and policy frameworks for indigenous mountain communities in Nepal to face the challenges of climate change" [2013] ELECD 257; in Abate, S. Randall; Kronk, Ann Elizabeth (eds), "Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2013) 468

Book Title: Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples

Editor(s): Abate, S. Randall; Kronk, Ann Elizabeth

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781781001790

Section: Chapter 21

Section Title: Changing climate and changing rights: exploring legal and policy frameworks for indigenous mountain communities in Nepal to face the challenges of climate change

Author(s): Cha, J. Mijin

Number of pages: 23

Abstract/Description:

Communities worldwide will face different challenges from a changing climate. While there are certainly underlying cohesive themes, such as gender inclusion and food security, successful climate change adaptation policies will be tailored specifically for community needs rather than focused on more traditional broad-based legal and policy frameworks. The need for specialization becomes even clearer when considering how to address issues of marginalization of communities and individuals, particularly intra-community marginalization. Marginalization, also known as social and/or political exclusion, of groups or individuals within a community will likely increase due to the stresses that climate change places on a community. Successful adaptation polities will be crafted with an eye towards these realities. This chapter discusses the challenges that indigenous mountain and forest communities in Nepal, and particularly women in these communities, will face as they struggle to adapt to a changing climate. Indigenous women in these communities will face increased hardship and burdens due to their substantial role in providing household security. This chapter addresses whether the increased burdens of climate change will result in a shifting of rights-based issues allowing new avenues for legal relief within existing international legal obligations.