Climate vulnerability and adaptive capacity of urban residents and communities are influenced by pronounced social inequalities that reflect age, ethnicity, gender, income, health, and (dis)ability differences.

This finding is from chapter 11 of Climate Change Impacts in the United States: The Third National Climate Assessment.

Process for developing key messages: In developing key messages, the report author team engaged in multiple technical discussions via teleconference. A consensus process was used to determine the final set of key messages, which are supported by extensive evidence documented in two Technical Report Inputs to the National Climate Assessment on urban systems, infrastructure, and vulnerability: 1) Climate Change and Infrastructure, Urban Systems, and Vulnerabilities: Technical Report for the U.S. Department of Energy in Support of the National Climate Assessment f0803451-5a89-474a-974f-99c13fdc725d, and 2) U.S. Cities and Climate Change: Urban, Infrastructure, and Vulnerability Issues .01b45a4a-2021-405d-a65b-2340e9ca9677 Other Technical Input reports (56) on a wide range of topics were also received and reviewed as part of the Federal Register Notice solicitation for public input.

Description of evidence base: The topic of social vulnerability has been extensively studied,b861c498-f85c-49af-8cdc-4dc4aea127f5 796c4617-7dcd-433e-bb0e-805cdab4c136 d1f166f4-f6a2-4c5a-a884-e01c2f847715 eb5203ca-5d71-48af-8952-09b461caa155 with some work detailing the social characteristics that are the most influential.827dcea9-fecc-466b-9a35-15862fe496a7 4911d097-60c1-4af8-b0ba-aeb1879f05b4 8f130c5e-1565-41f1-bd2e-47ba49c43d2a More recent work has addressed the vulnerability of populations to climate change6d7209f8-ba52-4dc1-a779-aae07faafe12 and how social inequalities influence capacity to adapt to climate change.7de045e2-16db-4f08-884f-58acf3c1f782 Some empirical studies of U.S. urban areas were explored concerning these issues.a7e5b6c2-f086-46b7-86a3-931c740ea774

New information and remaining uncertainties: Given that population trends and socioeconomic factors associated with vulnerability and adaptive capacity are well established and documented, the largest uncertainties are associated with the rate and extent of potential climate change. Recent work has addressed the social vulnerabilities to climate change at a more detailed level than in the past,796c4617-7dcd-433e-bb0e-805cdab4c136 6d7209f8-ba52-4dc1-a779-aae07faafe12 providing information on the constraints that social vulnerabilities can have on climate change adaptation.

Assessment of confidence based on evidence: Given the evidence base and remaining uncertainties, confidence is very high that the climate vulnerability and adaptive capacity of urban residents and communities are influenced by pronounced social inequalities that reflect age, ethnicity, gender, income, health, and (dis)ability differences

References :

• Social Vulnerability to Environmental Hazards (796c4617)
• Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation. A Special Report of Working Groups I and II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (6d7209f8)
• Vulnerability (b861c498)
• Vulnerability: A generally applicable conceptual framework for climate change research (d1f166f4)
• Social Vulnerabilities and Hurricane Katrina: An Unnatural Disaster in New Orleans (eb5203ca)
• Through the Eye of Katrina: Social Justice in the United States (827dcea9)
• Facing Hazards and Disasters: Understanding Human Dimensions (4911d097)
• Social Vulnerability to Disasters (8f130c5e)
• Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation. A Special Report of Working Groups I and II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (7de045e2)
• Social Vulnerability to Climate-Sensitive Hazards in the Southern United States (a7e5b6c2)
• Climate Change and Infrastructure, Urban Systems, and Vulnerabilities. Technical Report to the U.S. Department of Energy in Support of the National Climate Assessment (f0803451)
• U.S. Cities and Climate Change: Urban, Infrastructure, and Vulnerability Issues, Technical Input Report Series, U.S. National Climate Assessment 2011-0101 (01b45a4a)