Figure 7.2. Examples of climate-related hazard, exposure and vulnerability for the United States, using data from the county level. The upper two panels show the geographic distributions of two climate-related hazards, hurricane strikes (left) and extreme heat events (right). The map at lower left shows U.S. population density according to 1990 census data, which gives a measure of overall exposure to all types of hazards. The map at lower right shows the percentage of population aged 65 or older, giving an indication of vulnerability to heat stress and ailments that have a larger impact on the elderly. Sources: Upper left panel: NWS NHC 46, with updates to 2010; lower left panel: Map Gallery of North America, Univ. of Omaha, http://maps.unomaha.edu/Peterson/geog1000/MapLinks/NAmerica/gallery.html; other panels: Karl et al., (2009).
Exposure varies in direct proportion to population or assets, while research shows that much of the global-scale variation in vulnerability is inversely proportional to the level of economic development. In a 2009 study focused on human casualties due to natural hazards, Peduzzi et al., Determining the Impact of Climate Change on Insurance Risk and the Global Community
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