Lunenburg Part 2 - Section 5 - Social Vulnerability - August 30.pdf

illustrate the relationship of areas of physical risk to climate change impacts (storm surge in this
project) and also high social vulnerability; this association suggests situations to address through
land use planning that directs people, generally, and socially vulnerable groups in particular,
away from hazardous locations. The methods used in this project will also provide an example
for other Nova Scotia municipalities to replicate.
Methodology and Approach
Social Vulnerability to Climate Change
Anthropogenic climate change refers to changes in the environment caused mainly by the
production of greenhouse gases by humans. The principal impacts are global warming and
associated sea level rise and an anticipated increase in the frequency and severity of extreme
weather events such as storms. Researchers who study natural hazards and major climate shifts
have observed that the human impacts of these phenomena are not uniform – instead, certain
portions of the population are much more heavily affected than others. This has led to the
conclusion that the impact of a natural hazard is not determined by the severity of the hazard
alone, but also by a combination of pre-existing physical, social and economic conditions that
make people more or less vulnerable to this impact: the complex range of factors that cause
social vulnerability in general also determine social vulnerability to climate change.
Social vulnerability results in social vulnerability to climate change impacts because it
encompasses factors that determine people’s access to resources that can help them to prepare
for, withstand, and recover from a natural hazard. These resources may be physical, economic,
or social. Examples include good quality housing that can weather a storm; disposable income
to spend on emergency supplies or post-event repairs; and social connections with neighbours
that could provide assistance in a time of need.
While residents and local decision-makers have little control over many of the factors influencing
the severity or degree of climate change and its expression as impacts, the effects of climate
change may be anticipated, and negative impacts reduced. An assessment of social vulnerability
to climate change impacts has the potential to identify populations and areas at greatest risk, so
that measures can be taken to reduce that risk - a hazard does not have to become a disaster.
Indices of Social Vulnerability
Scholars of social vulnerability to natural hazards assert that, since the impacts of natural
hazards are the greatest on socially vulnerable people, the best way to reduce overall impacts is
to focus climate change adaptation, emergency management planning, and disaster relief on
socially vulnerable populations and areas. In order to direct resources to those most in need,
planners and decision-makers need to understand who and where these people are.
To this end, researchers have developed a variety of methods for assessing social vulnerability.
One type of method is the application of an index of social vulnerability. An index of social
vulnerability aims to quantify the prevalence of various factors of social vulnerability by
geographic area, in order to identify those areas with the highest levels of social vulnerability.
The factors considered are usually chosen through one or a combination of two methods: a
theoretical grounding in social sciences literature; or observed statistical relationships amongst
factors understood to contribute to social vulnerability. By providing a quantifiable measure, an
index of social vulnerability allows the comparison of levels of social vulnerability geographically,
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