Paper short abstract:

This paper shares case studies from central Himalayas to understand and respond to climate change. It discusses cultural world as a conceptual tool to study contemporary social environments. It argues that local priorities do not always align with scientific understanding of climate change.

Paper long abstract:

Climate change is a contemporary human problem challenging the sustainability of humankind. It requires action-oriented knowledge production, grounded in local realities, encompassing multilevel and multisited dynamics, and engaging multidisciplinary perspectives. Through case studies from central Himalayas, eastern and western Nepal, this paper demonstrates the need to understand and respond to the effects of climate change, and highlights the presence of multiple actors and their varied agencies to engage with climate vulnerable communities that are treated as homogenous groups. The paper then discusses the utility of "cultural world" (Bodley 2003) as a conceptual tool to study contemporary social environments that do not fit neatly into homogenous categories based on geographic location, ethnicity, religious affiliation or nationality. Within these cultural worlds, the paper argues that there is a need to explore local priorities that do not always align with scientific understanding of climate change and essential actions.