In simple terms
A friendly intro before the formal notes — no formulas yet.
Why Some Get Sunburnt and Others Don't
Vulnerability isn't just about being in a risky place; it's about your ability to handle that risk. We'll break down why some communities are far more affected by climate change than others, even when facing the same hazard.
Imagine two people out on a very sunny day. They both have the same 'exposure' to the sun. However, one person has very fair skin (high 'sensitivity'), while the other has darker skin (low 'sensitivity'). The first person also forgot their sunscreen, has no hat, and can't afford to buy a cold drink (low 'adaptive capacity'). The second person has high-factor sunscreen, a wide-brimmed hat, and money for water (high 'adaptive capacity'). The first person is far more 'vulnerable' to sunburn and heatstroke, despite the exposure being identical. Climate vulnerability works in the same way for places and people.
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Identify Exposure & Sensitivity: First, determine what climate hazards a place is exposed to (e.g., sea-level rise, drought) and how sensitive its population and economy are to these changes (e.g., high reliance on rain-fed agriculture).
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Assess Adaptive Capacity: Next, evaluate the resources available to cope with the hazard. This includes wealth, technology, education levels, and stable governance. High adaptive capacity can offset high exposure.
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Determine Overall Vulnerability: Combine these factors. A location with high exposure and sensitivity but low adaptive capacity is highly vulnerable. This is a common profile for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
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Analyse Resilience Strategies: Finally, examine the actions taken to reduce vulnerability and improve the ability to 'bounce back' from a hazard. This could be building sea walls (hard engineering) or diversifying the economy (soft adaptation).
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Full topic notes
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Deconstructing Vulnerability
Vulnerability is not simply about being in harm's way. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) defines it as a product of three interconnected factors. Understanding these components is crucial for explaining why some places and people are more at risk than others.
Exposure: The extent to which a place is exposed to a specific climate change impact. For example, low-lying coastal zones have high exposure to sea-level rise and storm surges.
Sensitivity: The degree to which a society or economy would be affected by a climatic event. A country where 60% of GDP comes from rain-fed agriculture is highly sensitive to drought.
Adaptive Capacity: The ability of a system to adjust and cope. This is determined by factors like wealth (to fund defences), technology (early warning systems), education (to implement new farming techniques), and political stability (to manage a crisis effectively).
The Geography of Vulnerability: Who is Most at Risk?
Vulnerability varies significantly on a spatial scale, from global to local. Generally, Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) exhibit the highest vulnerability. This is often due to a combination of high exposure (e.g., tropical cyclone belts, low-lying coasts), high sensitivity (e.g., reliance on primary sector activities like farming and fishing), and low adaptive capacity (e.g., low GDP per capita, limited technology, and institutional challenges).
Building Resilience
Resilience is the flip side of vulnerability. It is the capacity of a system to absorb disturbances and reorganise while undergoing change so as to still retain essentially the same function and structure. Building resilience involves reducing exposure and sensitivity, and increasing adaptive capacity. Strategies can be categorised as 'hard' or 'soft' engineering, but also include social, economic, and political changes.
Worked examples
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Two coastal communities, A and B, are assessed for their vulnerability to storm surges. Their scores (out of 10, where 10 is highest risk/capacity) are shown below. A simple Vulnerability Index can be calculated as: (Exposure + Sensitivity) - Adaptive Capacity.
- Community A: Exposure = 9, Sensitivity = 8, Adaptive Capacity = 2
- Community B: Exposure = 9, Sensitivity = 4, Adaptive Capacity = 8
(i) Calculate the Vulnerability Index for each community. [2] (ii) State which community is more vulnerable and briefly explain why, using the data. [2]
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(i) Calculation of Vulnerability Index:
- Community A: (9 + 8) - 2 = 17 - 2 = 15 [1 mark]
- Community B: (9 + 4) - 8 = 13 - 8 = 5 [1 mark]
A coastal region in Vietnam implemented a mangrove restoration project in 2010 to increase resilience to coastal erosion, which is being accelerated by sea-level rise. The average annual shoreline retreat was measured before and after the project.
- Average shoreline retreat (2005-2009): 4.5 metres per year
- Average shoreline retreat (2015-2019): 1.2 metres per year
Calculate the percentage reduction in the rate of shoreline retreat after the mangrove restoration project. Show your working. [2]
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Step 1: Calculate the absolute reduction in erosion. Reduction = Initial Rate - Final Rate Reduction = 4.5 m/year - 1.2 m/year = 3.3 m/year [1 mark for correct subtraction]
How it all connects
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Glossary
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Quick check
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Revision flashcards
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Vulnerability (to climate change)
The degree to which a system is susceptible to, and unable to cope with, adverse effects of climate change. It is a function of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity.
Key takeaways
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Exposure: The extent to which a place is exposed to a specific climate change impact. For example, low-lying coastal zones have high exposure to sea-level rise and storm surges.
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Sensitivity: The degree to which a society or economy would be affected by a climatic event. A country where 60% of GDP comes from rain-fed agriculture is highly sensitive to drought.
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Adaptive Capacity: The ability of a system to adjust and cope. This is determined by factors like wealth (to fund defences), technology (early warning systems), education (to implement new farming techniques), and political stability (to manage a crisis effectively).
Practice — then mark it
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Test Your Knowledge on Global Climate Vulnerability
Test Your Knowledge on Global Climate Vulnerability
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