Abstract
Purpose: To determine whether perceived importance of local climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts differs according to social or medical factors among residents of impacted communities.Methods: An online survey was conducted among residents of California (Los Angeles/Orange), Florida (Miami-Dade/Broward), and Arizona (Maricopa) counties in July 2018 (n=605). Multivariable ordered logistic regression measured associations between the perceived importance of adaptation/mitigation approaches and income, race/ethnicity, and health conditions, controlling for age, political party, and county.Results: Lower income was associated with higher perceived importance of improved emergency alerts, government-subsidized costs of household air conditioners and energy-efficient appliances, strengthening buildings against extreme weather, regulation of greenhouse gas emissions, urban planning using “cooling” technologies, and expanding community gardens/local agriculture. Black respondents perceived evacuation services for those with financial barriers during extreme weather, government-subsidized costs of energy-efficient appliances, and communication from government agencies about local climate impacts and mitigation as significantly more important compared to non-Black, non-Hispanic respondents. Hispanic respondents perceived significantly greater importance of improved emergency alerts and health care access during extreme weather, evacuation services for residents without transportation, government-subsidized costs of energy-efficient appliances, regulation of greenhouse gas emissions, communication from government agencies about local climate impacts and mitigation efforts, and intergovernmental cooperation on mitigation compared to non-Hispanic respondents.Conclusions: Perceptions of the importance of specific local climate actions differ according to race/ethnicity and income. Community engagement is recommended to help local decisions reflect priorities of the most affected residents.
Highlights
Communities across the United States are increasingly facing the disruptions from extreme weather and other environmental hazards long predicted by climate scientists.[1,2,3,4,5,6,7] In addition to threatening local economies and infrastructure, these hazards place individuals with social or medical vulnerabilities at increased risk of death, injury, and exacerbation of symptoms of chronic health conditions.[1]
This study investigated whether residents with social or medical vulnerability in three U.S regions recently affected by increasingly extreme weather and environmental hazards differ from other residents in their perceived importance of adaptation and mitigation approaches
Controlling for health status, low income, and other covariates, Hispanic respondents had nearly twice the odds of emphasizing the need for improved access to hospitals and health systems for extreme weather-related health problems compared to non-Hispanic, non-Black respondents (Table 3)
Summary
Communities across the United States are increasingly facing the disruptions from extreme weather and other environmental hazards long predicted by climate scientists.[1,2,3,4,5,6,7] In addition to threatening local economies and infrastructure, these hazards place individuals with social or medical vulnerabilities at increased risk of death, injury, and exacerbation of symptoms of chronic health conditions.[1] Low-income households, chronically ill individuals, and members of communities of color already affected by health disparities will face disproportionate burdens from these health impacts.[8].
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