India Climate Stories
The Global Studies Program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) allows students to study abroad in order to expand their perspectives on social issues. Most students from WPI come from a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) background but these projects are designed to give students more insight on social sciences. As a group of students from WPI and the Indian Institute of Technology we went to various villages in the state of Himachal Pradesh, India to interview lifelong residents on how climate change has affected their lives.
In this area, agriculture is a huge industry and many farmers rely on natural resources for their farming. This makes Himachal Pradesh extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate change. While many residents had not heard of the term "climate change" we found that many reported changes which could be attributed to it. Many reported effects such as receding snowlines, shifts in timing of seasons, and increased intensity of seasons. Our project highlighted the importance of listening to stories of climate change in order to more effectively combat it.
After concluding the project, we had a better understanding of how climate change impacts individuals, especially those who contribute the least to it. Some of us have even decided we want to do something with our careers that is more oriented towards combating climate change, such as working on renewable energy. The project was a success in broadening our horizons in terms of how we view the world.
In this area, agriculture is a huge industry and many farmers rely on natural resources for their farming. This makes Himachal Pradesh extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate change. While many residents had not heard of the term "climate change" we found that many reported changes which could be attributed to it. Many reported effects such as receding snowlines, shifts in timing of seasons, and increased intensity of seasons. Our project highlighted the importance of listening to stories of climate change in order to more effectively combat it.
After concluding the project, we had a better understanding of how climate change impacts individuals, especially those who contribute the least to it. Some of us have even decided we want to do something with our careers that is more oriented towards combating climate change, such as working on renewable energy. The project was a success in broadening our horizons in terms of how we view the world.