Deltas in the Anthropocene
Author: Sumana Banerjee, Jadavpur University
Deltas in the Anthropocene (open access) presents evidence from deltas in Africa and Asia on climate change, migration, adaptation, and shares sustainable gender-sensitive recommendations for management in a time when human influence on the natural environment is ever more apparent. The book synthesises key findings of the DEltas, vulnerability & Climate Change: Migration & Adaptation (DECCMA) project, which had four delta study sites, namely the Volta delta in Ghana, Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna delta in Bangladesh, Indian Bengal delta (which includes the Indian Sundarban delta) and Mahanadi delta in India.
As a result of extensive collaborative research by a multidisciplinary team the book explores both the bio-physical and socio-economic challenges faced in deltas in Africa and Asia. The book introduces us to the wider impacts of the Anthropocene on the deltas and then takes us through each of the study sites, followed by biophysical evidence from the deltas on fluvial sediment supply, hotspots, and socio-economic evidence on migration, economic impacts of climate change, and adaptation. Building on such robust evidence, the book then looks at the future trade-offs and finally offers policy recommendations for sustainable delta futures.
This book is relevant to the UKRI-GCRF Living Deltas Hub in several ways. First, there is geographical overlap in terms of study sites in Bangladesh and India. Second the integrated approach to management of human-environment actions and proposed goals for sustainable delta futures are also what we embrace in Living Deltas. Third, we are proud to have some of the authors of the book associated with the Hub in different capacities. Prof. Tuhin Ghosh, Prof. Mashfiqus Salehin, and Prof Anisul Haque are Hub Co-Investigators and Dr. Katharine Vincent and Prof. Stephen Darby are on the Hub’s advisory board have significant contributions in this book.
The book can downloaded in entirety or by chapter, as follows:
