Groundbreaking Report Details Climate Change Hotspots in US Southeast

County-by-county report identifies socially vulnerable communities in 13 states facing risk of drought, flooding, hurricanes and sea-level rise

WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — A number of “hotspots” of vulnerability to climate-related hazards exist in the US southeast, according to a new groundbreaking study released today by Oxfam America. The report, “Exposed: Social Vulnerability and Climate Change in the US Southeast,” is the first of its kind to combine hazards associated with climate change with social variables, revealing the people and places that will most likely be hit worst by climate change.

“Climate change will impact everyone, but not everyone will be impacted
equally,” said Oxfam America President Raymond Offenheiser. “Social factors like income and race do not determine who will be hit by a natural disaster, but they do determine a population’s ability to prepare, respond, and recover when disaster does strike. This report will serve as a critical tool to help us identify especially vulnerable communities and invest wisely in their climate resiliency and preparedness.”

The study covers 13 states in the US southeast from Arkansas to Virginia, measuring the underlying social and demographic characteristics of populations and how some of those characteristics negatively affect their ability to cope with climate change-related hazards, such as flooding, drought, hurricane force winds and sea-level rise.

…The report is available in its entirety at www.oxfamamerica.org/adapt.
Complimenting the report are interactive maps where users will be able to easily sift through thousands of data points to analyze data on climate change threats facing specific areas.

Reuters