A new climate vulnerability index developed by a professor at Texas A&M University and Environmental Defense Fund shows one Texas county in the top 10 of U.S. counties most vulnerable to threats from climate change. Jefferson County in southeast Texas (Beaumont) ranked ninth in the index developed by Dr. Weihsueh Chiu from the A&M School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. St. John the Baptist Parish in Louisiana was the leader, and five of the top seven counties are in Louisiana.
Dr. Chiu said the index shows how, why and where climate risks threaten the stability of communities in the U.S. “The launch of the CVI represents a significant leap forward in our understanding of the cumulative impacts of climate change,” he said.
“The wildfire smoke from Canada and the heat wave over the entire southern U.S. this summer emphasized the importance of better understanding the effects of climate change on people’s lives and of figuring out what we can do to help people and communities adapt to the changing conditions,” Dr. Chiu added.