2.3.1 Climate change risk and vulnerability
Content
- Geographic inquiry and concept(s)
- Possibilities for responding to climate change and power over the decision-making process
- Geographic knowledge and understanding
- Disparities in exposure to climate change risk and vulnerability, including variations in people's location, wealth, social differences (age, gender, education), risk perception
- Case study or detailed examples
- Detailed examples of two or more societies with contrasting vulnerability
- Aims of this lesson
- To have knowledge and understanding of the disparities in exposure to climate change risk and vulnerability
- To have knowledge and understanding of at least two detailed examples of societies with contrasting vulnerability
Base knowledge and understanding
News article
Three disasters in three years: Brazil’s deadly floods show women are ‘the first to die’ when extreme weather hits
The climate crisis is accelerating the frequency of devastating events across the world, displacing millions and disproportionately affecting women
The Guardian · 24 April 2026
Key terms
- Risk
- In its modern sense, the word risk has two distinct meanings: it can mean both the possibility of danger and simultaneously its potential consequences. The first definition emphasises the source of the risk, while the second focuses on the target exposed to the risk.
- Vulnerability
- The conditions determined by physical, social, economic and environmental factors or processes which increase the susceptibility of an individual, a community, assets or systems to the impacts of hazards.
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Review
- Explain one way in which a person's geographical location affects their exposure to climate change risk. [2]
- Explain how a person's level of education can influence their vulnerability to climate change. [2]
- Suggest two reasons why risk perception of climate change varies between different social groups. [4]
- Low-income countries will always suffer the most severe consequences of global climate change. To what extent do you agree with this statement? [10]
