ID: 1994
Presenting Author: Ejin Kim
Session: 642 - Enhancing the credibility and impact of climate change and health impact assessments
Status: pending
This study provides policy-relevant insights by linking green infrastructure indicators with regional heat-health risks, emphasizing quality-oriented adaptation strategies for equitable and
Understanding how green infrastructure mitigates heat-related health risks is crucial for effective climate adaptation planning.
This study assessed regional variations in cardiovascular disease risk during extreme heat events across 250 administrative districts in South Korea, focusing on the structure, type, and function of green infrastructure indicators rather than total green coverage.
Health outcome data were combined with environmental and sociodemographic variables, and spatial prediction models were used to estimate regional heat-related health risks.
Principal component analysis summarized diverse greenness metrics—such as forest area per capita, residential forest ratio, and park accessibility—revealing pronounced spatial heterogeneity.
Subsequent clustering analyses identified three representative green-infrastructure profiles:
(1) balanced forest–river–residential areas with moderate risk levels;
(2) school- and roadside-dominant linear greenery associated with higher risks; and
(3) large per-capita green areas with relatively low adaptive capacity.
Results demonstrated that the configuration and functional quality of green infrastructure played a more decisive role in moderating heat-related health risks than the total amount of greenery.
Regions dominated by fragmented or linear green structures showed higher vulnerability, while areas with contiguous and integrated green networks displayed greater resilience.
These findings underscore the importance of incorporating landscape structure, accessibility, and ecological functionality into national climate–health
Ejin Kim is a researcher specializing in climate change, environmental health, and spatial analysis of heat-related risks, focusing on regional adaptation and policy evaluation.
Coauthor 1: Insung Song
Coauthor 2: Ho Kim