Climate Change, Environmental Justice, and Vulnerability: An Exploratory Spatial Analysis

Abstract Research has demonstrated that vulnerable populations including disadvantaged populations of color live in areas that may place them at higher risk of exposure to social and environmental hazards. Due to climate change, these populations may experience worse health outcomes and environmental health disparities. The purpose of this project was to explore the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to assess areas that may be vulnerable to climate change across the United States. We employed ArcGIS 9.3 to create vulnerability scores for areas across the country that may be that may be impacted by climate change at the county level in the United States using different social, environmental, and health indicators. We included data on race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status from the US Census. Data on pollution sources and pollution levels were obtained from the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Health data were obtained from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), the...