1. Projections of social-inequalities due to sea level rise in the Continental United States.
- Author
-
Saunders, R. Kyle and Hauer, Mathew E.
- Subjects
SEA level ,CRITICAL race theory ,SOCIAL impact ,EQUALITY ,CLIMATE change ,POPULATION forecasting - Abstract
Climate change is one of the most pressing challenges of the 21st century and is likely to exacerbate social inequalities. Climate change impact studies typically focus on population totals or use current populations to discuss social inequalities of impacts. With the anticipated growth of minority groups in the United States, the potential inequalities that climate change is expected to exacerbate are still relatively undefined. Here, we use critical race theory coupled with detailed sociodemographic population projections to answer two primary research questions regarding social inequalities due to climate change impacts within the context of sea level rise. First, who is at the highest risk to SLR? Second, is climate change a new form of in- equality or is it simply a new avenue for current inequalities to continue to manifest? Our preliminary results suggest women, the elderly, and communities of color will likely account for most sea level rise displacement, in the absence of protective measures. Sea level rise is not simply a new avenue for current inequalities, but the magnitude of these inequalities suggest it could be considered a new form of inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019