The big idea: Climate change does not hit everyone equally.
The same flood, drought or storm causes far more harm to some people and places than to others.
How badly a group is harmed depends on its vulnerability - and vulnerability is shaped mostly by human factors (wealth, location, government, gender), not just the physical hazard.
Key terms
- Vulnerability - how likely a group is to be harmed by a hazard, and how badly.
- Exposure - whether people are physically in the path of the hazard (e.g. living on a flood plain).
- Adaptive capacity - the ability to prepare for, cope with and recover from impacts (money, defences, warning systems).
- Uneven impacts - the idea that climate harms fall unequally across places and social groups.
Vulnerability = exposure + low capacity: A group is most vulnerable when it is highly exposed to a hazard and has low adaptive capacity to cope.
Wealth usually raises capacity - so poorer people are often more vulnerable even to the same hazard.
Whether a hazard becomes a disaster depends on who it hits. A good answer names a human factor and explains the mechanism - why it raises or lowers vulnerability.
Human factors that raise vulnerability
- Poverty / low income - no savings, no insurance and no money to rebuild, so a shock pushes families into crisis.
- Where people live - the poor are pushed onto risky land (flood plains, steep slopes, dry margins).
- Weak governance - little money for defences, warnings or emergency services.
- Reliance on farming - rural livelihoods depend on rain and harvests, which climate change disrupts.
- Gender / age / health - women, children, the elderly and the sick often have fewer resources and less mobility.
Why richer groups are LESS exposed to harm
- Wealth and savings - they can pay to defend, relocate, insure and rebuild.
- Better infrastructure - sea walls, drainage, early-warning systems and emergency services protect them.
- Choice of where to live - they can afford safer land away from flood plains and unstable slopes.
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Bangladesh - a low, poor delta: Bangladesh is a low-lying, densely populated delta where millions of poor farmers live on flood plains.
Why so vulnerable: rising seas and stronger cyclones flood farmland and homes, and most families have no savings, no insurance and little protection - so each flood causes deep, lasting harm.
Sahel - women and farming: In the Sahel (e.g. Niger, Mali) longer droughts cut crop yields.
Why women are more vulnerable: they do much of the farming and water/fuel collection, often own less land and fewer assets, and may be last to eat or leave in a crisis - so the same drought harms them more than men.
Netherlands - wealth buys protection: Much of the Netherlands lies below sea level, yet it is far less vulnerable to flooding.
Why: it is a high-income country with world-class sea defences, dykes, pumps and early-warning systems, plus insurance and savings - high adaptive capacity offsets high exposure.
Pair a rich and a poor place: The best 'uneven impacts' answers contrast a vulnerable place (Bangladesh, the Sahel) with a protected one (Netherlands) to show that wealth and governance, not just the hazard, decide who suffers.
How this is tested: On Paper 2 this micro appears two ways:
- A short Explain / Suggest (4 marks) on the human factors behind vulnerability. - A 'To what extent' essay (6-10 marks) asking how far climate impacts are spread unevenly - sometimes using an infographic as evidence. Build a For / Against / Judgement argument and end on a clear judgement.
| Place | Income level | Why it is more / less vulnerable |
|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | High income | Sea defences, early-warning, insurance, savings - LESS vulnerable |
| Bangladesh | Low income | Low, flat delta, dense rural poor, little flood protection - MORE vulnerable |
| Rich coastal suburb | High income | Can afford to rebuild, relocate or buy insurance - LESS vulnerable |
| Informal slum settlement | Low income | Built on risky land, no savings or insurance - MORE vulnerable |
Reach a judgement: 'To what extent' must end with a clear stance (e.g. impacts are felt widely but the harm is very uneven) - never just list both sides and stop.