Vulnerability assessments as a public health response to climate change

Population vulnerability to climate change aligns with pre-existing societal inequalities. Vulnerable groups include the economically marginalized, children, the elderly, and minority communities. In addition to social components, aspects of the built environment like land use practices can further exacerbate the impacts of climate change, culminating in a place-based understanding of vulnerability. Several studies engage the concept of vulnerability mapping to climate hazards at state to regional scales; however few studies assess vulnerability at the local level. Measures of risk designed from a place-based model must downscale to the local level, where vulnerability is most pronounced and where effective interventions are often crafted. Using the City of Austin, Travis County, Texas as a case study, this project developed a vulnerability assessment to excessive heat and heavy rainfall-induced flash flood events, two climate hazards projected to increase in the future. The social/resiliency measures collected for flood and excessive heat vulnerabilities were identified in the literature and included measures of age, population density, social isolation, ethnic makeup, and sum of chronic disease deaths per block group area on days of exposure. Similarly, biophysical measures of vulnerability included surface temperature, precipitation and land use data. The project resulted in static vulnerability maps at the census block group scale that overlay onto a dynamic mapping server. The project provides near real-time decision support for the local health department and climate action program on current emergency preparedness efforts and future climate mitigation/adaptation initiatives which may impact community health.