Climate Vulnerability Index

What existing indices leave out

A review of 112 studies found that most climate vulnerability indices relied heavily on readily available demographic data while giving less attention to housing, infrastructure, governance and community resources. Nearly six in ten studies did not identify how their indicators were weighted, making the resulting rankings harder to interpret.

Building the Toronto index

The Toronto work combines municipal and environmental data with evidence about housing and the built environment. A community-engagement phase is designed to use workshops and interviews in selected Neighbourhood Improvement Areas to document local hazards, barriers, resources and coping strategies that city-wide datasets may not capture.

What the index is for

The aim is to show how climate hazards, existing social and physical conditions, and the capacity to respond vary across neighbourhoods. The index remains in development and should not yet be interpreted as a neighbourhood ranking.