Abstract

The concept of vulnerability is commonly used to refer to people's susceptibility to environmental problems, health damage and the degree of risk to which a population tends to suffer damage from natural disasters. Urban areas are vulnerable to climate change. The propensity of a given population/location can be adversely affected by climate change, based on three fundamental elements: sensitivity, adaptive capacity and exposure. The degree of vulnerability of a area, depends on indicators of exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity in a stepwise manner. Vulnerability is thus presented as the degree of susceptibility or risk to which a population is exposed to suffering damage from natural disasters. This vulnerability concept is explained through the application of a case study carried out in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to produce maps that have made it possible to identify the most vulnerable areas in the territory, thus facilitating decision-making by public authorities, intervention and the adoption of measures to minimise the vulnerability of these areas.