Indigenous women's experiences and responses to climate change: insights from Sri Lanka

Abstract

This thesis aims to advance the understanding of how Indigenous women experience and respond to climate change impacts using Sri Lanka as a case study. Indigenous communities face unique challenges in the face of climate change impacts due to geographic location, historical, and other local factors which threaten their food and livelihood systems. Locally specific climate change adaptation measures are crucial to increase resilience and minimize vulnerability of Indigenous communities to climate change. Scholarly research has studied the impacts of climate change on Indigenous Peoples around the world, yet there is a lack of knowledge about the challenges Indigenous women face when experiencing and responding to climate change impacts. This study aims to examine how Sri Lankan Indigenous women experience climate change impacts and how they respond. The three research questions this study seeks to address include: 1) What are the ways Vedda women experience climate change impacts? 2) What are the ways Vedda women respond to climate change impacts? 3) What are the limits and barriers to adapt to climate change for Vedda women? Building on existing research partnerships with four Indigenous Vedda communities in Sri Lanka, I used semi-structured interviews and journaling as data collection methods. Findings for how Vedda women experience climate change include, a reduction of home garden yields due to drought conditions, and various health impacts such as heat rashes due to prolonged droughts and changes in rainfall patterns. Vedda women's responses to climate impacts include shifting crop varieties, buying store-bought foods, and engaging in collective livelihood management strategies. Limits for Vedda women to adapt include government, financial, and social/cultural factors. This study will help close the gap to understand the specific challenges and vulnerabilities Indigenous women in Sri Lanka face to help build support networks and inform policy at the local and global level.