Climate Change and Social Vulnerability in the United States: A Focus on Six Impacts oEPA Findings on Disproportionate Risks of Climate Change to Asian Individuals and Pacific Islanders This report estimates risks to Asian individuals and Pacific Islanders living in the contiguous United States. Results are based on current demographic distributions and projected changes in climate hazards. This is a one-page summary of findings from EPA's report Climate Change and Social Vulnerability in the United States: A Focus on Six Impacts related to disproportion- ate risks of climate change to Asian individuals and Pacific Islanders. The report estimates the dispro- portionate risks to socially vulnera- ble populations (defined based on age, income, education, race, and ethnicity) associated with six impact categories shown in the figure. Risks are calculated for each socially vulnerable group relative to its "reference population" (all individuals outside of each group) for scenarios with 2°C of global warming of 50 cm of sea level rise. The estimated risks are based on current demographic distributions in the contiguous United States. The report finds that Asian individ- uals are more likely than their reference population to currently live in areas with the highest projected increases in childhood asthma diagnoses from cli- mate-driven changes in PM2.5. Pacific Islanders are found to be more likely than their reference population to currently live in areas with the highest projected labor hour losses for weather-ex- posed workers due to extreme temperatures and the highest damages from inland flooding. Both Asian individuals and Pacific Islanders are found to be more likely than their reference popula- tions to currently live in areas with the highest projected increases in traffic delays associated with high-tide flooding. For more information, please refer to the report and accompanying appendices. Air Quality and Health Asian individuals are 8% more likely than non-Asian individuals to currently live in areas with the highest projected increases in childhood asthma diagnoses with 2°C of global warming V Extreme Temperature and Labor Pacific Islanders are 3% more likely than non-Pacific Islanders to currently live in areas with the highest projected reductions in labor hours due to extreme temperatures with 2° C of global warming Coastal Flooding and Traffic Asian individuals and Pacific Islanders are 23% and 28% more likely, respectively, than their reference populations to currently live in areas with the highest estimated increases in traffic delays due to coasta/0^ flooding with 50 cm of global sea level rise¦ Extreme Temperature and Health Both groups are less likely than their reference popula- tions to currently live in areas with the highest projected increases in extreme tempera- ture-related deaths with 2°C of global warming Coastal Flooding and Property Both groups are less likely than their reference populations to currently live in areas where the highest percentage of land is projected to be lost to inundation with 50 cm of global sea level rise Inland Flooding and Property Pacific Islanders are 10% more likely than non-Pacific Islanders to currently live in areas with the highest projected damages from inland flooding with 2°C of global warming EPA 430-R-21 -003 | September 2021 ------- |