Climate change is not a distant threat—it’s already here, reshaping our cities and lives. But it doesn’t affect everyone equally.
In many urban areas, particularly those already facing social and economic challenges, rising temperatures and more frequent heatwaves are hitting the hardest. The impacts of climate change are closely tied to pre-existing inequalities: low-income neighborhoods, older populations, and poorly designed urban spaces all face higher risks. In these areas, climate stressors don’t just arrive—they amplify what’s already broken.
An interdisciplinary study shows this clearly, by analyzing heatwave events and their connection to mortality rates, researchers found strong links between vulnerability and both the physical and social structure of neighborhoods. People’s age, income level, housing quality, and access to green space made a measurable difference in how they were affected.
So, how can cities respond in ways that are fair and effective? This question lies at the heart of an emerging approach known as transformative adaptation. It’s about more than just technical fixes. Transformative adaptation calls for deep changes in how we plan, govern, and design our urban environments—starting from the root causes of inequality and vulnerability.
At AOS, we see the value in approaches that connect data, local knowledge, and participatory processes. Citizen engagement, interviews with decision-makers, and co-design tools can help ensure that climate solutions don’t just serve the few—but respond to the needs of the many.
This vision of just, inclusive, and climate-resilient cities demands collaboration across disciplines: combining climate science, socio-economic research, and community voices. It’s possible to map where risks are highest and begin shaping policies that reduce them—not only through infrastructure, but through empowering people.
In our ongoing work, we aim to support these shifts through awareness-raising, and knowledge exchange, and by advocating for long-term strategies that integrate climate justice at their core.