Climate change and cooling equity: Spatial dynamics of vulnerable populations

Abstract

Climate change disproportionately affects low-income and minority populations. This study identified vulnerable populations to extreme heat, focusing on home air conditioning. State and municipal laws and regulations usually consider home air conditioning an amenity rather than a requirement for habitability such as heat, water, and electricity. Using the historical census data and the American Housing Survey data, this study identified the vulnerable populations to extreme heat and their spatial dynamic in Los Angeles County, CA. This study found that low-income minority populations are more likely to live without home air conditioning, and they are more likely to be exposed to extreme heat in the coming years if their residential location patterns continue. Changing spatial patterns of low-income and minority populations need to be incorporated into urban and regional planning for climate change. State regulations and municipal codes should require air conditioning as a habitability requirement for cooling equity. Also, cooling stations that provide immediate relief for those without home air conditioning need strategic placements based on the locational concentration of the vulnerable populations.