Exclusion and Exposure: How Social Inequality and Marginalization Shape Climate Vulnerability and Adaptation in Rural Communities

Focusing on a marginalized, climate-vulnerable region of Pakistan, the study uses a mixed-methods approach (household surveys, focus groups, interviews) grounded in the Model of Proactive Private Adaptation to Climate Change (MPPACC) to test how caste, social status, power, and gender affect farmers’ ability to understand and adapt to climate risks. It finds that these structural inequalities distort risk perception and limit adaptation capacity. Low-caste and marginalized farmers have less access to the resources and credible information needed to respond effectively, which is a key factor in reducing vulnerability to climate change.