SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL VULNERABILITY TO HEAT-RELATED PHENOMENA IN DOBROGEA. ROMANIA
The effects of extreme climate phenomena (mainly heat-related) on agricultural crops, infrastructure and human health have become increasingly severe, varying between regions in response to the differences in the socio-economic and environmental features. In Romania, heat-related phenomena (i.e. drought) are affecting extended areas in the southern and south-eastern parts where the study area (Dobrogea) lies. The paper aims to develop a multi-criteria vulnerability assessment. Over 20 indicators were selected and processed in order to assess the vulnerability to heat-related phenomena using the statistical data available at local administrative units (LAU). The indicators were grouped into the three key components of vulnerability (potential exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity) and on two dimensions (socio-economic and environmental), resulting two indexes: Socio-Economic Vulnerability (SEV) and Environmental Vulnerability (EV). Finally, an integrated Heat Vulnerability index (HV) (using Hull score, average 50 and standard deviation 14) was computed.