U.S. southeast is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts, states new report

 A new report from Oxfam America has identified the U.S. southeast as one of the most vulnerable regions in America to climate change.

 The report, Exposed: Social Vulnerability and Climate Change in the US Southeast [PDF], assesses both climate change hazards and social variables at the county level.  Considering the combination of factors reveals which areas are most vulnerable to the disruptive impacts of climate change.

The poorest communities will be affected the most because they tend to be located in harm's way -- such as low lying flood plains and coastal areas, and because they have they have fewer resources with which to prepare and cope with climate change impacts. This is not only true in the U.S. but around the globe as the poorest areas from Biloxi, Mississippi to Bangladesh will be disproportionally affected.

For example, according to the Oxfam report, Arkansas is vulnerable because of both its poverty rate and potential climate change impacts. Nearly a quarter of the state lies within a hundred year flood zone and hundred year floods will occur more frequently as climate changes. The state is also one of the poorest in the country. When, in 2008, Arkansas experienced some of its worst flooding in a quarter of a century, many of the 35 counties declared as disaster areas weren’t prepared to respond.  See Oxfam's fact sheet on impacts in Arkansas [PDF]; and our Web page on climate change impacts on the Southeast, including Arkansas. 

The Oxfam report urges communities vulnerable to climate change to demand action on legislation that both reduces emissions and helps communities in the U.S. and in other countries prepare for impacts.

"Climate change is happening and it’s affecting the poor— socially and economically vulnerable communities—first. As climate change increases and intensifies floods, storms, and heat waves, many of the world’s poorest communities, from Biloxi to Bangladesh, will experience unprecedented stress,” said Oxfam America President Raymond C. Offenheiser in a press release. “Congress must act now to address climate change and invest in the resiliency of poor communities on the frontlines of climate change at home and abroad.”

For additional information on the report, including individual fact sheets  and maps for each state in the region see the Oxfam project Web site.