Urban Vulnerability and Adaptability to Climate Change: A Case Study of Cities in the Yangtze River Delta

The cities of the Yangtze River Delta are densely populated with large amounts of wealth, for which reason they are faced with greater disaster risks brought by climate change. As a major research tool on climate change policies, vulnerability assessment provides reference for adaptive management. Based on literature review and case study, the paper first constructs the overall vulnerability assessment model for cities of the Yangtze River Delta by utilizing the indices of sensitivity and adaptability. Then, it assesses 16 typical cities of this region through factor analysis, an objective evaluation method, analyzes the driving factors of climate vulnerability in each city and conducts group comparisons according to their sensitivity and adaptability. Finally, it points out the importance of cities’ adaptability to climate change under multiple pressures of climate change, population growth and urbanization in the future, and gives some suggestions, such as strengthening risk assessment on climate change, including climate-proofing measures in urban development planning, protecting climatically vulnerable groups in cities, enhancing comprehensive capacities for disaster management in cities and encouraging the R&D and innovation on adaptation technologies.