Indigenous communities at higher risk of climate change-induced flooding, study shows
CTV
A recent study has found that Indigenous communities are at a higher risk of climate change-induced flooding because of the pre-existing socioeconomic hardships they face, such as the legacy of colonization and lack of access to resources.
The study, published last month in the International Journal of Disaster Risk Science and led by researchers at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, found that Indigenous communities are at a higher risk of climate change-induced flooding because of pre-existing socioeconomic vulnerabilities.
Factors influencing said vulnerabilities, as listed by the researchers, include the legacy of colonization, race and ethnicity, income, built environment, elderly populations, education, occupations, family structures and access to resources.
Researchers conducted an analysis of flood hazard data, including rates of exposure to flooding in residential areas and socioeconomic data for the assessment of flood risk for Indigenous communities living on 985 reserve lands across more than 3000 census subdivisions.
The data provided critical information to support risk-management planning for Indigenous communities, “especially under accelerating climate change,” according to a news release.