Socially vulnerable groups are at greater risk from climate-change-caused flooding because of systemic disadvantages, according to a new study published in Environmental Research.
August 22, 2022
Socially vulnerable groups are at greater risk from climate-change-caused flooding because of systemic disadvantages, according to a new study published in Environmental Research.
The study also reveals that neighborhood-level racial or ethnic, economic, social, and demographic factors play a significant explanatory role in the distribution of flood risk across Canadian neighborhoods.
The study led by Liton Chakraborty, a researcher at the University of Waterloo’s Partners for Action, in collaboration with other Waterloo researchers, found that traditionally-recognized socially vulnerable groups in Canada, such as females, persons living alone, Indigenous, South Asians, the elderly (age 65 and over), other visible minorities, and economically insecure residents bear a disproportionate burden of inland and coastal flood risks.
“This research fills the gap of analyzing and addressing flood-related socioeconomic discriminations while considering divisibility aspects of flood hazards and contributes to the emergent and quantitative environmental justice literature on flood-related socioeconomic disparities,” Chakraborty said.
