Extreme heat vulnerability assessment in tropical region: a case study in Malaysia

Abstract

In the past decade, the inevitable increase in temperature has caused Malaysia to experience more extreme heat events, and yet very little research has been dedicated in exploring the heat-related vulnerability of exposed population. In this study, the extreme heat vulnerability index (EHVI) has been evaluated to identify the most vulnerable districts to extreme heat events. We evaluated exposure, population sensitivity and adaptive capacity from sociodemographic and remote sensing data. We have applied multivariate analysis on 13 indicators for every 87 districts to elucidate the extreme heat vulnerability in Peninsular Malaysia. The EHVI was generated by summing up the normalized extreme heat exposure scores and factor scores from the multivariate analysis. Our findings clarify that the most vulnerable populations are confined in the urban and northern region of Peninsular Malaysia. The source of vulnerability varied between both regions, with urbanization and population density increase the vulnerability in urban areas, high heat exposure and sensitive population are the dominant factors of vulnerability in the northern region. These findings are valuable in identifying districts vulnerable to extreme heat and help regulatory body; in designing effective adaptation and preparedness strategies to increase the population resilience towards extreme heat.

Social vulnerability indicators to the Health Impacts of Climate Change: A Scoping Review

“…The spatial distribution of human populations in urban, sub-urban, and rural areas increases vulnerability to the health impacts of climate change (16,48,49,59,62,67,70,90,91,94,96,98,105,109,116,118,144,149,162,168,172,187,193,194). Urban and sub-urban areas have higher population densities (25,41,45,48,58,62,75,98,105,109,113,119,127,151,162,171,178,(196)(197)(198)(199)(200)(201) and larger population sizes (98,202,203...…”

“…Studies consistently found access to health services and medical infrastructure are among the most influential indicators for sensitivity and adaptative capacity, especially for developing countries (69,183), and limited access to or lower quality of health services is associated higher vulnerability (87,89,117,151,198). People with pre-existing illness such as cardiovascular and respiratory disease (47,198), children (103,105,206), and the elderly (47,55,216) are particularly vulnerable due to additional medical needs and poor physical resistance to climate impact.…”

“…There were multiple approaches to measuring access infrastructure, including access to clean water (e.g., distance to water resources, ground water availability) (51,151,168,196,217,218), transportation (e.g., density of roads and railways, distance to the nearest major roadway) (47,105,114,119,179,193), sanitation facility (e.g., dwellings without bathing facilities, access to improved toilet infrastructure) (121,123,176,196), electricity or utility (e.g., access to power) (113,151,179,188), communication technologies (66,151,219), sewage facility (e.g., proportion of population with drainage connection) (66,121,168), and waste disposal (e.g., solid waste collection) (66,121,168). Adequate transportation is vital p.15-40 Preprint v.2 for people to gather resources, seek safe shelters and access services to help them respond during disasters and aid in their recovery post disasters (220).…”

“…Adequate transportation is vital p.15-40 Preprint v.2 for people to gather resources, seek safe shelters and access services to help them respond during disasters and aid in their recovery post disasters (220). Access to clean water and electricity alleviates heat stress by helping people overcome dehydration and providing access to the usage of fans and air conditioning during heat extremes (151). During climate or weather disasters, lack of access to public infrastructure can lead to people being stranded in the hazardous location and hamper the ability of public infrastructure to provide disaster relief (67).…”

“…Persons with pre-existing medical conditions such as cardiovascular, respiratory and endocrine diseases are at greater risk for morbidity or mortality when exposed to excessive heat and cold (216,221). Living with disability considerably reduces adaptive capacity (35,47,55,85,111,113,114,116,148,151,159,186). Cognitive impairment creates barriers to receive and comprehend warnings (114,194,220).…”