Synonyms
Definition
Climate change refers to a range of global phenomena created predominantly by burning fossil fuels. These add heat-trapping gases to the Earth’s atmosphere (NASA 2019). These phenomena include the increased global temperature trends referred to as global warming that can lead to changes in rainfall, wind patterns, and the frequency of extreme weather events such as tropical cyclones, heatwaves, flooding, and drought, which impact both human health and environment (IPCC 2018; Padhy et al. 2015; Trombley et al. 2017; UNFCC 1994). In contrast to susceptibility, which is a state or fact of being likely or liable to be influenced or harmed by a stimulus (M-W 2019a; Oxford 2019a), vulnerability is a propensity or predisposition to be either physically or emotionally adversely affected (M-W 2019b; Oxford 2019b). This is determined by the characteristics of a person or group that influences their capacity to...
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References
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Schwela, D. (2021). Climate Change, Vulnerability, and Older People. In: Gu, D., Dupre, M.E. (eds) Encyclopedia of Gerontology and Population Aging. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22009-9_466
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