高温热浪脆弱性与适应性研究进展

 由于全球气候变化和城市热岛效应，高温热浪成为世界范围内夏季频繁发生的极端灾害天气事件，这引起了社会各界的广泛的关注。高温热浪对人类生存、社会经济发展、水资源和生态环境造成严重威胁。本文在气候变化的大背景下，对高温热浪的定义和影响高温热浪脆弱性的主要因素等方面已经开展的研究工作进行了综述，主要包括影响高温热浪危害程度的因子、高温热浪的敏感性和适应能力三个方面。在综述国内外研究进展的基础上，对未来应对高温热浪措施和策略进行了初步探讨，旨在为减轻高温热浪危害，加强适应和应对气候变化背景下的极端事件的研究。

Vulnerability to Heat Waves and Adaptation:A Summary

An increase in the frequency and intensity of heat waves is likely to be one effect of global climate change, one which will attract the attention of the broader scientific community. Heat waves have serious impacts on society including probable increases in mortality, strain on infrastructure (power, water and transport) and social disturbance. Wider impacts may include effects on industries, tourism and ecosystems. To date, heat largely has been ignored. To develop better coping strategies, this paper explores the main factors that shape vulnerability to heat waves, the definition of heat waves and initiates an avenue of research to address considerable knowledge gaps in this area. Vulnerability to heat waves includes degree of exposure to the heat hazard, sensitivity to changes in weather/climate and adaptive capacity. Furthermore, based on a broad range of research, this paper outlines some suggestions to decrease the impact of heat waves and explores coping strategies for extreme events in the future. Heat waves do not affect everyone. The most likely to suffer are vulnerable individuals or sectors of society such as those who are elderly, have pre-existing health problems, work in jobs requiring heavy labor, live alone, are immobile or have a low-income. The synergistic effects of such factors may prove fatal for some. Adapting to more frequent heat waves should include soft engineering options and, where possible, avoidance of widespread use of air conditioning, which could prove unsustainable in terms of energy. Strategies for coping with heat include changing the way in which urban areas are developed or re-developed, and setting up heat watch warning systems that integrate weather forecast information with heat warnings and associated intervention strategies.