Several states along the Gulf of Mexico are the most vulnerable to climate change, according to the U.S. Climate Vulnerability Index (CVI) created by the Environmental Defense Fund and Texas A&M University.
The analysis ranking looks at a variety of factors including extreme weather events, health, infrastructure and food insecurity.
Counties across Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana are the most at-risk in the country when it comes to climate change, according to the data.
These are the 10 most vulnerable counties, based on the report released last year:
- St. John the Baptist, Louisiana
- Iberville, Louisiana
- Dillon, South Carolina
- Knox, Kentucky
- Tangipahoa, Louisiana
- St. Landry, Louisiana
- Acadia, Louisiana
- Floyd, Kentucky
- Talladega, Alabama
- Yazoo, Mississippi
Many of the things plaguing these southern states as it relates to climate change vulnerability involve communities that are susceptible to health issues such as infectious diseases and air-polluted illnesses, while also suffering from disaster-related deaths.
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The costs of environmental disasters, including economic and productivity loss, are another reason these states are considered the most vulnerable.
On the flip side, states in the northeast like Vermont and New Hampshire are considered to be the least vulnerable to climate change risks, based on the data.
The Environmental Defense Funds said the CVI equips and enables policymakers to use community-driven data that will, hopefully, direct action to the areas that need it most.
Anyone can access the CVI’s interactive map and search specific areas to learn more about the risks associated with climate change in a particular region.
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