Flooding and Social Sustainability: A Climate Justice Issue in Myanmar
SRIc Insights By Pyae Phyoe Mon
Flooding is one of the most serious consequences of Myanmar's rising climate disaster. Urban and rural people have been affected by the frequent and severe flooding caused by annual monsoons and storms that are becoming stronger.
The article discusses how flooding in Myanmar addresses the climate justice issue, highlighting inequalities in vulnerability and access to resources. The analysis takes a social sustainability approach, focusing on how communities may cope and recover from environmental emergencies.
Key Takeaways:
Flooding in Myanmar is an environmental concern and a climate justice issue that disproportionately impacts the most vulnerable communities.
Climate disasters, political instability, and socioeconomic disparities due to poor governance, the country's limited ability to recover and adapt, and the exclusion of unprivileged voices from climate policy-making threaten social sustainability.
Inclusive, community-led, and rights-based initiatives are critical to building climate resilience and a sustainable future.
Understanding Climate Justice and Social Sustainability
The concept of climate justice acknowledges that not everyone is equally affected by the climate crisis. Vulnerable communities, such as low-income nations, indigenous people, people of color, women, ethnic and religious minorities, and people with disabilities who contribute the least to climate change, are disproportionately impacted by climate disasters like floods, droughts, wildfires, and rising sea levels. Additionally, these groups frequently lack institutional and financial resources to adapt or recover from the consequences of climate change, which exacerbates already-existing social and economic inequalities.
Social sustainability means creating resilient, inclusive, and equitable communities that can recover and adapt to challenging situations while ensuring that all people, especially marginalized communities, can access resources and meet their needs. It incorporates social well-being, environmental, and economic factors to promote sustainable development.
Indeed, climate change-related flooding and disasters disproportionately affect marginalised populations, such as rural communities, ethnic minorities, women, and children, who frequently lack adequate infrastructure, financial resources, and social support networks to respond and recover. Social sustainability implies specific efforts to reduce imbalances and ensure that vulnerable groups are not left behind.
Climate Justice in Myanmar: Who Suffers the Most?
Myanmar has faced catastrophic flooding due to monsoon rainfall and climate change since September 2024. Recent floods have ruined several places, causing damage to infrastructure, housing, and agriculture. The impact is particularly severe in conflict-affected areas, including Kachin, Sagaing, and Magway. Rising floodwaters cause damage to houses, cut off towns, and restrict critical supply routes. Farmers have experienced significant losses due to flooding, threatening their food security and livelihoods. The combination of broad devastation and ongoing civil war worsens the challenges these people face, hindering relief and recovery efforts. As a result, the socioeconomic consequences are expected to be significant and long-lasting.
Flooding in Myanmar raises a concern for climate justice that threatens social sustainability, has an unequal impact on vulnerable groups, and indigenous communities. Generally, these communities lack the basic flood protection, early warning systems, and infrastructure required to manage or predict extreme weather conditions or environmental changes. This difficulty is worsened by limited disaster preparedness, continuous conflicts, political instability, weak governance, superstitious beliefs in local communities, and historical injustices that have affected specific communities for so long. Flooding can also create long-term health, education, and economic stability challenges, as well as immediate risks to safety and livelihoods. Therefore, promoting inclusive, rights-based solutions that empower local communities and address the root causes of vulnerability is critical.
Furthermore, cultural and religious beliefs shape how societies perceive and react to climate-related challenges. While these beliefs can sometimes strengthen resilience, they may also hinder effective adaptation. A Study in Africa indicates that various communities in South Africa have distinct responses to climatic disasters, influenced by their religious perspectives. Some individuals may adopt a passive approach, interpreting disasters as divine will or punishment rather than as environmental events. In contrast, others may proactively adapt when faith-based organizations offer practical assistance and promote community support.
These two considerations underscore the necessity of integrating disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation strategies in Myanmar that reflect vulnerability's social and spiritual aspects, alongside providing financial aid and technical support. Understanding and collaborating with local religious leaders and their beliefs in Myanmar is essential. Acknowledging these concepts and involving the community improve the development of more effective strategies for anticipating and alleviating the impacts of flooding, ultimately strengthening community safety and resilience in the long run. Although limited studies specifically address this issue in Myanmar, global research findings highlight the importance of incorporating local values and social contexts into the country’s response initiatives.
Social Sustainability in Myanmar Under Threat
Myanmar has struggled with social sustainability challenges since the military gained control in 2021. This is due to a dramatic increase in poverty, harsh economic conditions, ongoing conflicts, and climate-related disasters. The continuous conflict has displaced 3.5 million people, about one-third of whom live in Myanmar's flood-prone southeast. Conflict and natural catastrophe events increase the cycle of displacement, undermining the coping strategies of already vulnerable populations. These communities also face greater unemployment rates and inadequate access to basic services such as healthcare and education. Meanwhile, weak disaster preparedness and poor governance create socioeconomic inequalities and weaken institutional trust from the public.
Traditional support networks collapse due to repeated shocks, including man-made and climate-related disasters, putting societal cohesion at risk. As these networks break down, communities experience disruptions that increase feelings of fear, distrust, and marginalization, threatening social stability and collective resilience.
Myanmar's social fabric will keep getting worse in the absence of inclusive policies and community-led resilience efforts as a result of long-term instability and hardship. Therefore, to ensure social sustainability, we must address these interconnected vulnerabilities through adequate climate action, enhanced local governance, and investment in people-centered recovery.
Silenced Stakeholders: Indigenous Peoples and the Climate Crisis in Myanmar
Indigenous communities in Myanmar, particularly in regions such as Kachin, Chin, Tanintharyi, and Rakhine, are at the forefront of the climate issue; however, they are excluded from national climate policy and land governance frameworks. Indigenous land management considerably improves ecological resilience, yet contemporary legal institutions typically neglect and undermine indigenous groups' rights. These communities employ traditional methods, such as terraced farming and forest conservation, which mitigate the effects of climate-related disasters, including floods. However, institutional interests' land acquisitions and exploitative projects frequently force people to shift, threatening their cultural heritage and means of livelihood.
Despite facing man-made disasters caused by large-scale development projects, deforestation, and mining operations that threaten their lands and ways of life, indigenous people are often left out of the consultation, planning, and decision-making process for climate policies and environmental governance in Myanmar. Ensuring their rights and meaningful involvement is vital to the future of Myanmar's just and sustainable climate. Without their voices, climate action is incomplete and unjust.
An Inclusive Path Forward: Recommendations for Climate Justice in Myanmar
Climate initiatives must prioritise fairness and inclusive, rights-based methods in Myanmar to achieve green security and social equity. This means identifying the disproportionate effects of floods on marginalised communities and addressing the underlying structural inequities that increase their vulnerability. Whether from foreign assistance or domestic investments, climate financing should prioritise community resilience-building activities while maintaining openness and accountability. Collaboration among government agencies, civil society, indigenous leaders, and global partners is critical. In addition, advancements in education, innovation, and the preservation of traditional ecological knowledge can all help to accelerate transformative development.
Creating the Loss and Damage fund, which was announced during COP27, holds hope or opportunity for Myanmar. This global fund is intended to provide finance and necessary assistance to countries most vulnerable to climate impacts, climate-related losses, and damages. Accessing the Loss and Damage fund could significantly impact Myanmar's efforts to support resilience and recovery in the areas most affected by climate change.
Conclusion
Flooding in Myanmar is more than just an environmental disaster; it provides an essential perspective on deeper climate justice issues, governance, and social sustainability. The combination of the country's socioeconomic inequality and geographic vulnerability exacerbates the impact of climate disasters on marginalised populations.
Good governance is also critical to effectively implementing climate strategies and transparent and inclusive systems that bridge the gap between national policies and local needs, especially for vulnerable groups. In contrast, weak governance marked by corruption, poor coordination, and exclusion leads to ineffective disaster response and deepens inequalities.
To address the complicated nature of this scenario, solutions must be as diverse as the problems they seek to solve. Aside from providing urgent disaster relief, mitigating climate-induced flooding requires long-term measures that promote better land-use policies, sustainable infrastructure, and increased community involvement.
The reason for this is apparent: social equity and climate justice should be mutually reinforcing. Vulnerable communities frequently experience the most serious consequences, so policymakers and local leaders must ensure they receive the support and opportunities needed to adapt and rebuild. Focusing on these components can create a more just and resilient society for all, ensuring no one is left out when the storms rise.
Pyae Phyoe Mon is a Junior Research Fellow at the Sustainability Lab of the Shwetaungthagathu Reform Initiative Centre (SRIc) and an M.A. Candidate in Social Sciences at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Thailand.
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