PhD in Geography (Climate Change/Sustainable Livelihood)

Current position: Researcher in Geography (Climate Change and Natural Disasters), Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies Potsdam, Germany

Research focus: science, sustainability, and spirituality and the humanitarian medical response to natural disasters and climate change in the Asia-Pacific region

Ravindra is researching on science, sustainability, and spirituality, and the culture of disasters in the Indian Himalayan Region, looking at the impacts of historical climate change and natural disasters on man-kind and ecosystem. He particularly focuses on Asia-Pacific countries, which have been victim to an increasing number of natural disasters over recent decades.

His research also focuses on climate change and clean energy transitions in the Asia-Pacific region. He is investigating historical and contemporary natural hazards and disasters and their impacts on ecosystems, as well as vulnerability and resilience patterns of effected communities. Ravindra is aiming to improve awareness through a social marketing application by delivering public motivation lectures on sustainability.

CV as submitted for the Green Talents award (2017):

University of Porto, Portugal

Research focus: the humanitarian medical response to natural disasters in the Asia-Pacific Region

Ravindra’s research is contributing towards improving the relationship between people and the ecosystem around them. He is researching sustainable development and the impact of climate change on food and livelihood security. By using the statistical downscaling of climate information in agriculture and water resource, he is investigating historical and contemporary natural hazards, disasters and their impacts on ecosystems, as well as vulnerability and resilience patterns of effected communities. So far, he has carried out research on flooding, earthquakes, forest fires and disaster risk management in Australia, Fiji, India, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Nepal, China, and Malaysia. He has also studied the impacts of tsunami and earthquakes in Japan.

Ravindra’s focus over the last three years has been on Fiji, his home country. The Fijian islands have been victim to an increasing number of natural disasters over recent decades, meaning there is an urgent requirement for disaster risk management strategies. Fiji is however lacking in disaster awareness in regional planning and local communities do not have access to information that would help them to improve their preparedness. Ravindra is aiming to improve awareness through the promotion of a social marketing application. In doing so, he is helping local households to adopt coping strategies in the face of flooding and other climate-change-related disasters.

Ravindra’s research is contributing to a wider understanding of disaster risk management, coping strategies and sustainable livelihood measures. Currently he is affiliated to the University of Porto, Portugal and APEC APCC, South Korea.

Ravindra’s study is contributing to a wider understanding of disaster risk management, coping strategies and sustainable livelihood measures. The jury was impressed by his determination to improve the relationship between people and the ecosystem around them and the potential of his research to help hundreds of millions of inhabitants in the Asia-Pacific region, who are increasingly vulnerable to natural disasters.