Socially different climate change impacts and adaptation options in NYC

Diana Reckien
Project Complete

Observable consequences of global climate change are arising in the forms of heat waves, changed precipitation patterns, and stronger winds and precipitation events, to only name a few. In order for urban policies to properly diminish the consequences of climate change, the cause-effect-chains have to be understood, as well as how different weather events impact certain neighborhoods, income, age, and social groups. This survey collects information on how different social groups in New York City and Chicago, Illinois experience extreme weather events and what kind of adaptation options are most feasible to reduce the perceived burden of weather extremes on different social groups. The proposed research addresses a number of currently important research needs in the applied climate sciences: the social differences of climate-related impacts, the quantification of impacts, and the quantification and comparison of selected adaptation strategies that target particular social groups. The proposed research will provide a new structured method for social impact studies, advance the understanding of social differences of climate-related impacts in urban areas, and deliver quantified results to impacts and adaptation options for the City of New York and Chicago, IL.