Increasing multi-hazard climate risk and financial and health impacts on northern homeowners

Currently, more than half of the world’s human population lives in urban areas, which are increasingly affected by climate hazards. Little is known about how multi-hazard environments affect people, especially those living in urban areas in northern latitudes. This study surveyed homeowners in Ancho...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ambio 2024-03, Vol.53 (3), p.389-405
Main Authors: Schwoerer, Tobias, Schmidt, Jennifer I., Berman, Matthew, Bieniek, Peter, Farquharson, Louise M., Nicolsky, Dmitry, Powell, James, Roberts, Rachel, Thoman, Rick, Ziel, Robert
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Atmospheric Sciences
Censuses
Climate change
Design
Earth and Environmental Science
Ecology
Environment
Environmental Engineering/Biotechnology
Environmental hazards
Environmental Management
Environmental risk
Hazard mitigation
Human populations
Ice
Local government
Permafrost
Physical Geography
Precipitation
Property damage
Research Article
Risk perception
Risk taking
Temperature
Urban areas
Urban environments
Wildfires
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Summary:Currently, more than half of the world’s human population lives in urban areas, which are increasingly affected by climate hazards. Little is known about how multi-hazard environments affect people, especially those living in urban areas in northern latitudes. This study surveyed homeowners in Anchorage and Fairbanks, USA, Alaska’s largest urban centers, to measure individual risk perceptions, mitigation response, and damages related to wildfire, surface ice hazards, and permafrost thaw. Up to one third of residents reported being affected by all three hazards, with surface ice hazards being the most widely distributed, related to an estimated $25 million in annual damages. Behavioral risk response, policy recommendations for rapidly changing urban environments, and the challenges to local governments in mitigation efforts are discussed.
ISSN:0044-7447
1654-7209
DOI:10.1007/s13280-023-01951-z