Vulnerability of Population at Regional Level to Climate Change

A system's vulnerability to climate change is determined by exposure, physical configuration and sensitivity, their ability and opportunity to adapt. The research goal is identify which variables determine population vulnerability to climate change in 2058 municipalities in Mexico. The hypothesis is that population vulnerability to climate change depends on sociodemographic characteristics (poverty --income--, education, health, demographic factors, dependence on agriculture); housing characteristics; natural resources and type of government in the region. It uses factor analysis, this statistical tool serves to reduce data grouped by common factors to explain factors (in this case dimensions). It is a method that helps to identify factors that explain the pattern of correlations within a set of observed variables. Analysis is used to reduce data regularly to identify a small number of factors that explain most of the observed variance.
The vulnerability of municipalities is varied for the five components. However, the center of the country presents more vulnerable by their social needs and the high concentration of population. This review identifies focus areas that must be addressed to avoid risks to the population living in the most vulnerable regions to climate events.