19.1.2.4 Distribution and aggregation of impacts

Vulnerability to climate change differs considerably across socio-economic groups, thus raising important questions about equity. Most studies of impacts in the context of key vulnerabilities and Article 2 have focused on aggregate impacts, grouping developing countries or populations with special needs or situations. Examples include island nations faced with sea-level rise (Barnett and Adger, 2003), countries in semi-arid regions with a marginal agricultural base, indigenous populations facing regionalised threats, or least-developed countries (LDCs; Huq et al., 2003). Within developed countries, research on vulnerability has often focused on groups of people, for example those living in coastal or flood-prone regions, or socially vulnerable groups such as the elderly.

No single metric for climate impacts can provide a commonly accepted basis for climate policy decision-making (Jacoby, 2004; Schneider, 2004). Aggregation, whether by region, sector, or population group, implies value judgements about the selection, comparability and significance of vulnerabilities and cohorts (e.g., Azar and Sterner, 1996; Fankhauser et al., 1997; Azar, 1998, on regional aggregation). The choice of scale at which impacts are examined is also crucial, as considerations of fairness, justice or equity require examination of the distribution of impacts, vulnerability and adaptation potential, not only between, but also within, groupings (Jamieson, 1992; Gardiner, 2004; Yamin et al., 2005).