Climate Change and Social Vulnerability in the United States: A Focus on Six Impacts x>EPA
Findings on Disproportionate Risks of
Climate Change to Black and African American Individuals
This report estimates the risks to Black and African
American individuals 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 Black
and African American individuals.
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:
¦	Air Quality and Health;
•	Extreme Temperature and
Health;
¦	Extreme Temperature and
Labor;
•	Coastal Flooding and Traffic;
•	Coastal Flooding and Property;
and
•	Inland Flooding and Property.
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 Black and
African American individuals are
more likely than their reference
population to live in areas with:
•	the highest increases in
childhood asthma diagnoses
from climate-driven changes
in PM2.5;
¦ the highest increases in mortal-
ity rates due to climate-driven
changes in extreme tempera-
tures; and
• the highest rates of labor hour
losses for weather-exposed
workers due to extreme
temperatures.
For more information, please refer
to the report and accompanying
appendices.
Air Quality and Health
34% more likely to currently
live in areas with the highest
projected increases in childhood
asthma diagnoses with
2°C of global warming
Extreme Temperature and Labor
23% more likely to currently live in
areas with the highest projected reductions
I in labor hours due to extreme temperatures
with 2°C of global warming
Coastal Flooding
and Traffic
6% more likely to currently
live in areas with the highest
estimated increases in traffic
delays due to coastal flooding
with 50 cm of global sea level rise
Extreme Temperature
and Health
40% more likely to currently
live in areas with the
highest projected increases
in extreme temperature-
related deaths with
2°C of global warming
Coastal Flooding
and Property
11% more likely to currently live
in areas where the highest
percentage of land is projected
to be lost to inundation with
SO cm of global sea level rise
Inland Flooding
and Property
10% more likely to currently live in
areas with the highest projected
damages from inland flooding with
2°C of global warming
EPA430-R-21-003 j September 2021

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