Emerging Themes and Qualitative Evidence of the Role of the Caste System in Climate Change Vulnerability in South Asia

Ethnographic studies have attempted to uncover the various lived experiences of differentially vulnerable communities across populations and regions globally. To analyze emerging themes and draw new insights into differential vulnerability to climate change in caste-based South Asian societies, particularly in Nepal and India, we conducted a meta-ethnographic systematic review study. We systematically selected 17 articles, analyzed the data, and identified six themes from 14 sub-themes, linking them with caste-based differential vulnerability to climate change through relevant examples, immediate effects, and seven long-term impacts. Our insights into caste-based differential vulnerability align with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) vulnerability framework (exposure, sensitivity, adaptive capacity), and we present them diagrammatically to enhance clarity and accessibility. The review highlights the significant effects of the caste system on shaping climate change vulnerability in caste-based societies. We recommend conducting in-depth empirical research on caste-based disproportionate social vulnerability to climate change, taking our new synthesis to test it as a hypothesis.