Ecosystem service mismatches evidence inequalities in urban heat vulnerability
Aznarez, Celina (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Kumar, Sudeshna (Basque Centre for Climate Change (Bilbao))
Marquez Torres, Alba (Basque Centre for Climate Change (Bilbao))
Pascual, Unai 1973- (Basque Centre for Climate Change (Bilbao))
Baró Porras, Francesc (Vrije Universiteit Brussel)

Date:	2024
Abstract:	Exposure to heat poses a pressing challenge in cities, with uneven health and environmental impacts across the urban fabric. To assess disparities in heat vulnerability and its environmental justice implications, we model supply-demand mismatches for the ecosystem service (ES) urban temperature regulation. We integrated remote sensing, health, and socio-demographic data with Artificial Intelligence for Environment and Sustainability (ARIES) and geographical information system tools. We computed composite indicators at the census tract level for urban cooling supply, and vulnerability to heat as a measure of demand. We do so in the context of the mid-size city of Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country (Europe). We mapped relative mismatches after identifying and analysed their relationship with socio-demographic and health factors. Our findings show disparities in heat vulnerability, with increased exposure observed among socio-economically disadvantaged communities, the elderly, and people with health issues. Areas associated with higher income levels show lower ES mismatches, indicating higher temperature regulation supply and reduced heat vulnerability. The results point at the need for nature-based heat mitigation interventions that especially focus on the more socio-economically disadvantaged communities.
Grants:	Agencia Estatal de Investigación CEX2021-001201-M Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación CEX2019-000940-M
Note:	Altres ajuts: acords transformatius de la UAB
Note:	Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-M
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, i la comunicació pública de l'obra, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. No es permet la creació d'obres derivades.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Urban heat island ; Ecosystem services mismatch ; Vulnerability ; Environmental justice
Published in:	Science of the total environment, Vol. 922 (April 2024) , art. 171215, ISSN 1879-1026

DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171215

12 p, 7.0 MB

The record appears in these collections:
Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles