Open Access

Climate Vulnerability, Environmental Change, and Adaptive Pathways: Integrating Biodiversity, Agriculture, Water, Energy, Urban Systems, and Human Mobility in a Warming World

4 Department of Environmental Policy and Development Studies, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Colombia

Abstract

Climate change is no longer a distant or abstract phenomenon but a deeply embedded driver of environmental, economic, and social transformation across the globe. Its impacts manifest through complex and interlinked pathways affecting biodiversity, agricultural systems, water and energy security, urban environments, public health, and human mobility. This research article synthesizes and critically elaborates on a diverse body of interdisciplinary literature to construct an integrated analytical framework for understanding climate vulnerability and adaptive responses across multiple sectors and scales. Drawing strictly on the provided references, the study explores how biodiversity loss exacerbates zoonotic disease risks, how climatic stressors reshape agricultural productivity and food security, how water scarcity and warming challenge energy systems, and how urban green infrastructure mediates climate-related health inequalities. Particular attention is given to developing-country contexts, especially Ethiopia, Pakistan, Morocco, India, and parts of Africa, where climate impacts intersect with structural poverty, governance constraints, and uneven access to resources.

The methodology adopts a qualitative, theory-driven integrative review approach, enabling the consolidation of empirical findings, conceptual models, and policy-oriented insights across environmental science, economics, and social research. The results reveal that climate vulnerability is not merely a function of exposure to environmental hazards but is profoundly shaped by socio-economic conditions, institutional capacity, historical inequalities, and differential access to adaptive resources. The discussion highlights key limitations in current adaptation strategies, including overreliance on technological fixes, insufficient attention to social immobility, and persistent inequities in urban and rural resilience planning. The article concludes by arguing for a holistic, justice-oriented adaptation paradigm that aligns ecological sustainability with human development, emphasizing context-sensitive policy design, inclusive governance, and long-term investment in climate-resilient livelihoods.

Keywords

References

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