Srinagar, Aug. 22 -- Kashmir Valley is experiencing environmental changes that can no longer be treated as a distant global concern. Situated in the fragile Himalayan ecosystem, the Valley is vulnerable to changing temperature and precipitation patterns, erratic snowfall, intense rainfall, cloudbursts, floods and landslides. These changes have implications for water resources, agriculture, biodiversity, infrastructure and livelihoods. The devastating floods of 2014 demonstrated how environmental vulnerability and extreme weather can combine to produce widespread consequences.

While government policies, scientific interventions and disaster-management systems remain essential, a sustainable response also requires changes in public behavio...