Exploring social vulnerability through narratives: A mixed-methods approach to develop storylines of vulnerability for heat and flood related risk in Austria

Beier, J., Preinfalk, E., & Hanger-Kopp, S. (2024). Exploring social vulnerability through narratives: A mixed-methods approach to develop storylines of vulnerability for heat and flood related risk in Austria. In: 3rd International Conference Natural Hazards and Risks in a Changing World- Addressing Compound and Multi-Hazard Risk, 12-13 June 2024, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

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Abstract

Climate change interacts with a multitude of socioeconomic characteristics, for example, income, age, and employment, determining individual vulnerability and coping capacities. However, existing impact assessments of climate risk commonly focus on aggregate levels, leaving blind spots with respect to within-country distributional effects. Adhering to the concept of intersectionality, this study examines differential vulnerabilities and factors determining heterogeneities on a household level in the context of heat and flood related risks in Austria.

To this end, we apply a mixed-methods approach to create narratives and storylines, integrating findings from a comprehensive literature review, stakeholder workshops, semi-structured interviews, and a multivariate statistical analysis. By exploring expert’s perceptions and framings around vulnerability, we identify and highlight the complex interrelationships between drivers of social vulnerability and the distribution across society for heat and flood related risk respectively. The knowledge generated is then developed into storylines and further contextualized by insights from a K-modes clustering algorithm that is based on geocoded socioeconomic data and climate impact data on a 1kmx1km scale.

Through this integrated and participatory approach, three comprehensive storylines are developed per climate risk. The storylines i) contribute to a more effective communication of social vulnerability to stakeholders working on risk management, ii) allow for a more nuanced representation of society in climate impact assessments, and iii) inform the development of just and targeted adaptation measures and pathways for the equitable distribution of adaptation benefits.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Research Programs:	Population and Just Societies (POPJUS) Population and Just Societies (POPJUS) > Equity and Justice (EQU)
Depositing User:	Luke Kirwan
Date Deposited:	23 Aug 2024 11:24
Last Modified:	23 Aug 2024 11:24
URI:	https://pure.iiasa.ac.at/19954

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