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Assessing the Health Vulnerability Caused by Climate and Air Pollution in Korea Using the Fuzzy TOPSIS

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  • Hyun-Joo Bae

    (Korea Environment Institute; 370 Sicheong-daero, Sejong 30147, Korea)

  • Jung Eun Kang

    (Department of Urban Planning and Engineering, Pusan National University; 2 Busandaehak-ro 63beongil, Busan 46241, Korea)

  • Yu-Ra Lim

    (Institute of Environmental Medicine, Seoul National University Medical Research Center; 103 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03080, Korea)

Abstract

The effects of climate change and air pollution on health have become major topics of discussion and conducting an assessment on the vulnerabilities of climate change is essential to providing a solution for it. This study assesses human vulnerability to the health effects of climate change and ozone. We classified 27 detailed vulnerability indicators into eight categories and assessed the vulnerability of 249 jurisdictions in South Korea by applying the Fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Situation method. The results indicated that metropolitan and major urban areas were more vulnerable than other areas. Furthermore, factors such as air pollution, meteorological conditions, a vulnerable environment, the distribution of disease, health/medical capacities, and air pollution control had a significant impact on vulnerability. A validity analysis was on the vulnerability assessment results and the number of new patients diagnosed with diseases associated with the cardiovascular system; the results indicated a 66.9% correlation, signifying a considerably high validity. The proposed method for assessing vulnerabilities in terms of the health effects of air pollution is objective and based on data; thus, it is expected to present a high degree of applicability. The results can also be a critical foundation upon which to establish health policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Hyun-Joo Bae & Jung Eun Kang & Yu-Ra Lim, 2019. "Assessing the Health Vulnerability Caused by Climate and Air Pollution in Korea Using the Fuzzy TOPSIS," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-15, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:10:p:2894-:d:233181
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    1. Do-Woo Kim & Ravinesh C. Deo & Jong-Seol Lee & Jong-Min Yeom, 2017. "Mapping heatwave vulnerability in Korea," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 89(1), pages 35-55, October.
    2. Suraje Dessai & Mike Hulme, 2004. "Does climate adaptation policy need probabilities?," Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 4(2), pages 107-128, June.
    3. Tabea Lissner & Anne Holsten & Carsten Walther & Jürgen Kropp, 2012. "Towards sectoral and standardised vulnerability assessments: the example of heatwave impacts on human health," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 112(3), pages 687-708, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Mar Llorente-Marrón & Montserrat Díaz-Fernández & Paz Méndez-Rodríguez & Rosario González Arias, 2020. "Social Vulnerability, Gender and Disasters. The Case of Haiti in 2010," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-21, April.
    2. Júlio Barboza Chiquetto & Maria Elisa Siqueira Silva & William Cabral-Miranda & Flávia Noronha Dutra Ribeiro & Sergio Alejandro Ibarra-Espinosa & Rita Yuri Ynoue, 2019. "Air Quality Standards and Extreme Ozone Events in the São Paulo Megacity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(13), pages 1-14, July.
    3. Junnan Xiong & Chongchong Ye & Tiancai Zhou & Weiming Cheng, 2019. "Health Risk and Resilience Assessment with Respect to the Main Air Pollutants in Sichuan," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(15), pages 1-19, August.

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