From slow violence to ecological crisis and hard violence: the impacts of climate change and hydropower development in the Mekong River Basin on Tonle Sap Lake

Hydropower and climate change have made impacts on ecosystems and communities dependent on the Mekong River. Some studies present these impacts as slow violence or disorientation, and others as fast violence. However, slow violence, fast violence, and disorientation cannot be adapted or resilient, as impacts exceed the capacities of ecosystems and communities. This study undertakes a literature review and a case study on Tonle Sap Lake. It concludes that the speed of the changes to the flood pulse makes residents unable to cope, forcing relocations, evictions, and migration. A transformation takes shape, converting slow and fast violence into ‘hard violence’.