Editorial for climate risk management, special issue: Building resilience in communities confronted with contaminated land, disasters, and changing environmental conditions
Certain communities, populations, and localities face disproportionate risk of exposure to multiple stressors due to neighboring contaminated land, as well as changing environmental conditions and disasters (e.g., extreme heat, drought, flood, wildfire). Understanding the extent and severity of potential community impacts is important for responding to events and for improving local planning and decisions to protect human health and the environment. Case studies demonstrate how fine-scale data are needed to design more effective strategies. At the same time, planning and recovery efforts need to equitably and inclusively consider communities that face extreme climate and potential pollutant exposures. This Special Issue presents research that addresses these interwoven issues, with the overarching goal of building resilience in communities vulnerable to the direct and indirect effects of extreme climate events and disasters. Papers in this issue offer insights into equitable resilience planning for under-resourced communities, as well as methods for adapting and preparing for future contaminant releases and subsequent exposures. This editorial describes key findings from the papers included in this Special Issue.