Environmental changes and inequalities in the Mekong region: a systematic mapping

Rising inequalities and accelerating environmental changes are two of the most significant challenges of the twenty-first century. But how do they relate to one another? Do they have common dynamic factors? We will try to address this question at the regional scale of the Mekong countries, which benefit from both an ecological and socioeconomic coherence. COVID-19 has tested and, in one way or another, revealed embedded societal inequalities. The virus does not confine itself to zones that are known for their difficult conditions; rather,vulnerable families present in all settings can be affected, from rural to urban areas, from Lao PDR and Cambodia to Thailand, Myanmar, and Vietnam, and from poor to non-poor households. Such unprecedented crises, similar to natural disasters, challenge response mechanisms at all levels: individuals, households, countries, and regions.