Measuring climate change vulnerability: a comparison of two indexes

Abstract

Climate change is predicted and currently observed to especially affect the rural poor,
and some sort of support for adaptation is relevant. This paper tests two vulnerability
assessment indexes in Lete and Kunjo VDCs in Mustang District: the Livelihood
Vulnerability Index (LVI) and the Livelihood Effect Index (LEI). The indexes are completed
based on primary data from 60 randomly selected respondents and the vulnerabilities at
VDC and household levels are assessed. The figures resulting from the vulnerability
assessments correspond with contextual information from the area elicited during key
informant interviews and the methods are concluded useful in a Nepalese context. Both
indexes validly reflect the relative differences between the two VDCs in terms of vulnerability
to climate change impacts and factors contributing to it and both could therefore usefully
form the basis for a nationally applicable index to identify and prioritise mitigation needs.
However, a number of challenges to using indexes and basing them on respondents’
perceptions are recognised.

Key words: Climate change; livelihoods; Mustang; vulnerability

DOI: 10.3126/banko.v20i1.3503

Banko Janakari, Vol. 20, No. 1 pp.9-16