Assessment and Mapping of Climate Shocks Vulnerability of Odisha, India: A PCA Approach

Climate shocks affect all walks of life, including livelihood, standard of living, critical infrastructure, health, productivity of agriculture, wealth, and socio-economic conditions of the different social groups. Climate change-induced extreme events such as floods, droughts, heatwaves, tropical cyclones, and inundations are increasing in frequency and severity and are likely to increase in the future. Therefore, climate shocks can vary across space, time, and person; therefore, their impact can be on the entire economy, one sector, or a specific region. The effect of climate shocks varies from country to country and region to region, and it is observed that developing and less developed regions are subject to more losses and severity than the developed regions. This study, therefore, makes a modest attempt to analyse the historical trends of climate shocks, loss, and damage caused by these events over the period 2001-2021. By addressing the major gaps and uncertainties in existing literature, this study assessed the vulnerability of districts of Odisha using principal component analysis, and then districts were ranked and mapped accordingly to determine the severity of vulnerability. It is observed that tribal-dominated districts like Malkangiri, Kalahandi, and Raygada are highly vulnerable to climate shocks. The findings provide necessary inputs for policymakers and livelihood losers to develop appropriate adaptation strategies.. Major policy prescriptions were derived for interventions to lessen vulnerability.