Aditi Bhowmick, a PhD candidate at Harvard, has received a Mittal Institute Faculty Climate Research Grant. She will lead a research project investigating gendered climate vulnerability in India, addressing critical issues such as child marriage exacerbated by climate change. The project aims to enhance data integration and support interdisciplinary research on related social disparities.
Aditi Bhowmick, an Indian PhD candidate specializing in Development Economics and Labor Economics, has emerged as one of the inaugural recipients of the Mittal Institute Faculty Climate Research Grants at Harvard University. Her research project will address gendered climate vulnerability in India, highlighting her dedication to mitigating economic and social disparities through comprehensive research initiatives.
The Mittal Institute Grants aim to enhance scholarly engagement regarding climate change in South Asia. These grants seek to generate novel knowledge and promote sustainable solutions across three primary research domains: energy transition and policy, food systems, agriculture, and land use, as well as law and policy for climate adaptation and transition.
In partnership with Eliana La Ferrara, a Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, Bhowmick’s research will focus on the detrimental effects of climate-induced disasters, such as droughts and floods, on gender equity in South Asia. The project will explore the troubling issue of “climate brides,” where young girls are forced into marriage due to extreme weather, despite legislative measures against child marriage.
The implications of early marriage include heightened risks of teenage pregnancy, maternal health issues, domestic violence, and poor child health outcomes, perpetuating cycles of health disparities. The lack of interoperable data has hindered systematic research on the link between climate shocks and gender disparities in India.
Bhowmick and La Ferrara intend to bridge this knowledge gap by merging historical ethnographic archives from 1920 to 1960, modern census data, and satellite information that track climate and economic shocks across India’s extensive network of villages and towns. Their research will examine the causal connections between climate change and adverse gender and health outcomes, particularly child marriage.
The project will also investigate whether historically specific social norms within communities influence these relationships. By creating a robust data infrastructure, comparable to Murdock’s Ethnographic Atlas for Sub-Saharan Africa, this research will facilitate interdisciplinary scholarship and informed policymaking.
By integrating community-level social norm data with geographic and economic information, the project aims to empower researchers, data journalists, think tanks, and policymakers to confront the challenges posed by climate change, particularly regarding gender inequity in India. Bhowmick is currently pursuing her PhD in Public Policy (Economics Track) and is affiliated with the Stone Program in Wealth Distribution, Inequality, and Social Policy. Her ongoing research agenda focuses on social norms and gender inequality across developing countries.
Aditi Bhowmick’s research will critically explore the intersection of climate change, gender inequality, and health outcomes in India, backed by the Mittal Institute Faculty Climate Research Grant. By integrating diverse data sources, her project seeks to provide invaluable insights that can guide policy interventions and foster equitable solutions in the face of climate-related challenges.
Original Source: americanbazaaronline.com
