The impacts of climate and land-use change on flood and heat hazards

Abstract

Urban growth and climate change are the primary causes of hydro-meteorological hazard generation in cities. This contribution takes the Metropolitan Region of Santiago de Chile (MRS) as an example of how land-use change has influenced flood and heat hazards and the exposure of built-up areas to both phenomena. It applies remote sensing, GIS, hydro-meteorological and census data to derive quantitative findings on the impact of land-use and climate change on flood and heat hazards. The analysis clearly proves that flood and heat hazard generation is not determined by climate changes alone but also by the shift in urban land-use patterns. Explorative scenarios that describe the variables most relevant to hazard generation are analysed to gain insight into the future development of both extreme events in the MRS. Results show that despite the different intensities of the scenario alternatives, flood and heat hazards will increase in the future, calling for specific adaptation measures to counter both phenomena.