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Assessment of social vulnerability to natural hazards in the Yangtze River Delta, China |
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| Authors: | Yi Ge Wen Dou Zhihui Gu Xin Qian Jinfei Wang Wei Xu Peijun Shi Xiaodong Ming Xin Zhou Yuan Chen |
| Institution: | 1. State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control & Resource Re-use, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China 2. School of Transportation, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210018, China 3. College of Architecture & Urban Planning, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China 4. Department of Geography, Social Science Center, The University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, N6A 5C2, Canada 5. Academy of Disaster Reduction and Emergency Management, Ministry of Civil Affairs and Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100875, China 6. Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Natural Disasters of Ministry of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China 7. Information Center of Ministry of Science & Technology, Beijing, 100862, China |
| Abstract: | China is exposed to a wide range of natural hazards, and disaster losses have escalated over the past decade. Owing to the pressure from natural disasters, along with changes in climate, social conditions, and regional environment, assessment of social vulnerability (SV) to natural hazards has become increasingly urgent for risk management and sustainable development in China. This paper presents a new method for quantifying SV based on the projection pursuit cluster (PPC) model. A reference social vulnerability index (SVI) at the county level was created for the Yangtze River Delta area in China for 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2009. The result of social vulnerability assessment was validated using data of actual losses from natural disasters. The primary findings are as follows: (i) In the study area, the major factors that impact SVI are regional per capita GDP and per capita income. (ii) The study area was more vulnerable in 1995 than in later years. SV of the whole region had decreased over the study period. (iii) Most part of Shanghai and the southeast part of Jiangsu Province had been the least vulnerable within the region. From this least vulnerable zone to the periphery of the region, the situation deteriorated. The highest SVI values in all evaluated years were found in the northern, western, or southern tips of the Yangtze River Delta. |
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