The study ranked Texas as the No. 8 most vulnerable state to climate change out of 51 states and districts, according to the Climate Vulnerability Index.
Another goal for the project is to help underserved communities secure funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act,“I think we’ve got this historic opportunity, and we can’t let it pass us by,” Lewis said. “We need to think forward also about how we in electric vehicles and charging stations and energy.”Lewis said she hopes the map serves as a “wake-up call” to city planners and other decision-makers on how to build more resilient and sustainable communities.
“Climate then becomes an equity issue because those communities are less able to respond to these new emerging threats from climate change,” he said, adding many low-income areas lack the financial resources and proper infrastructure to help them in the face of climate threats.Unlike other climate screening tools, the CVI map accounts for infrastructure in addition to health and climate.