National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC), Washington, DC 20005, USA.
Department of Sociology & Anthropology, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Apr 30;18(9):4800. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18094800.
Climate change and rapid urbanization currently pose major challenges for equitable development in megacities of the Global South, such as Delhi, India. This study considers how urban social inequities are distributed in terms of burdens and benefits by quantifying exposure through an urban heat risk index (UHRI), and proximity to greenspace through the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), at the ward level in Delhi. Landsat derived remote sensing imagery for May and September 2011 is used in a sensitivity analysis of varying seasonal exposure. Multivariable models based on generalized estimating equations (GEEs) reveal significant statistical associations ( < .05) between UHRI/NDVI and several indicators of social vulnerability. For example, the proportions of children (β = 0.922, = 0.024) and agricultural workers (β = 0.394, = 0.016) are positively associated with the May UHRI, while the proportions of households with assets (β = -1.978, = 0.017) and households with electricity (β = -0.605, = 0.010) are negatively associated with the May UHRI. In contrast, the proportions of children (β = 0.001, = 0.633) and agricultural workers (β = 0.002, = 0.356) are not significantly associated with the May NDVI, while the proportions of households with assets (β = 0.013, = 0.010) and those with electricity (β = 0.008, = 0.006) are positively associated with the May NDVI. Our findings emphasize the need for future research and policies to consider how socially vulnerable groups are inequitably exposed to the impact of climate change-related urban heat without the mitigating effects of greenspace.
气候变化和快速城市化给印度德里等南方国家大都市的公平发展带来了重大挑战。本研究通过量化城市热风险指数（UHRI）下的暴露程度和归一化差异植被指数（NDVI）下的接近绿地程度，在德里的行政区层面上考虑了城市社会不平等是如何在负担和利益方面分配的。本研究使用 2011 年 5 月和 9 月的陆地卫星衍生遥感图像进行了不同季节暴露的敏感性分析。基于广义估计方程（GEE）的多变量模型揭示了 UHRI/NDVI 与几个社会脆弱性指标之间存在显著的统计关联（<0.05）。例如，儿童（β=0.922，=0.024）和农业工人（β=0.394，=0.016）的比例与 5 月 UHRI 呈正相关，而资产家庭（β=-1.978，=0.017）和电力家庭（β=-0.605，=0.010）的比例与 5 月 UHRI 呈负相关。相比之下，儿童（β=0.001，=0.633）和农业工人（β=0.002，=0.356）的比例与 5 月 NDVI 没有显著关联，而资产家庭（β=0.013，=0.010）和电力家庭（β=0.008，=0.006）的比例与 5 月 NDVI 呈正相关。本研究结果强调了未来研究和政策需要考虑社会弱势群体在没有绿地缓解作用的情况下，如何不公平地受到与气候变化相关的城市热的影响。
