Climate change and climate-related events: the impact on equality and social inequality
Mapping review
|Published
We were commissioned by the Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs (Bufdir), in collaboration with the Norwegian Environment Agency, to conduct a systematic mapping review of research on the significance of climate change and climate-related events on gender equality and social inequality.
Key message
When climate change and climate-related events occur, they affect people’s social networks, economic situation, and health. Individuals with limited social and economic resources may face greater challenges in protecting themselves from, and adapting to, the climate changes.
The aim of this scoping review was to identify and describe research on climate change and climate-related events and their implications for equality and social inequality. We conducted extensive searches for research literature and included 76 studies from ten countries. Most of the studies examined heatwaves, rising temperatures, and the implications of such events for social inequality. The results indicate that:
- Climate change and climate-related events appear to exacerbate existing social inequalities within the
- The severity of the effects depends on the duration and intensity of exposure, individuals’ vulnerability, and the available resources for adaptation during and after the climate-related event.
- Those most severely affected are often the elderly, people with chronic illnesses or disabilities, ethnic and gender minorities, renters, unmarried or single people, people with low income and those living in substandard housing.
- Living alone, having weak social networks or low social participation increase the burden, whereas having social support and local networks appear to reduce it and partially mitigate the differences.
- Access to and understanding of warnings improves preparedness, while a lack of access increases the burden and disadvantages.
There are geographical differences in climate burden among neighbourhoods, municipalities, and regions due to variations in housing standards, the local environment, infrastructure, and health services.
Summary
Introduction
Climate change and climate-related events such as heatwaves can affect people’s social networks, economic situation, and health. People with limited social and economic resources are particularly vulnerable in this context because they have fewer opportunities to protect themselves from and adapt to climate changes. There is therefore a risk that climate change will reinforce existing societal differences concerning aspects such as health, income, and living conditions.
Social inequality arises when there are systematic differences in access to resources and opportunities among individuals and groups in a society. This can be influenced by factors such as income, education, health, geography, gender, ethnicity, and religion. These inequalities are shaped by societal conditions and cannot be explained solely by individual characteristics or random chance. Reducing social inequality is one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and an emerging priority in Norway. It means that all people should have equal rights and opportunities, regardless of group affiliation or personal circumstances such as gender, ethnicity, beliefs, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, and age.
When some groups lack leverage on climate adaptation and the distribution of resources, solutions may be developed that overlook their specific needs and reinforce existing social inequalities. Despite increasing attention to the connection between climate change, equality, and social inequality globally, there is limited research that systematically examines these links in a Norwegian context or in countries with similar social, economic, and geographical conditions to Norway.
Objective
The objective of this scoping review was to identify and describe research on climate change and climate-related events and their implications for equality and social inequality, to assess whether the research identified specific challenges in selected groups, and to identify potential knowledge gaps and needs for further research.
Method
We conducted a systematic scoping review. This is a type of evidence synthesis that maps and narratively describes existing research on a defined topic. To identify relevant studies, a research librarian carried out systematic literature searches in five international literature databases in June 2025. In addition, we conducted an extensive search in other sources for Nordic literature. We included empirical primary studies and systematic reviews published between 2015 and 2025 that examined the significance of climate change and climate-related events for equality and social inequality. Two members of the project team independently assessed full-text articles against predefined inclusion criteria. For each included study, we extracted descriptive information about the study and its results. The findings were presented using simple narrative summaries in text and tables. We did not assess the methodological limitations or risk of bias of the studies, nor did we assess the certainty of the evidence.
Results
We included 76 studies from ten countries, including two studies from Norway and 14 studies from other Nordic countries. The studies, which were predominantly quantitative, were published between 2015 and 2025. Most studies focused on heatwaves, extreme heat, and rising temperatures and their relationship to various aspects of social inequality (38 studies). None of the included studies aimed to examine the relationship between, or the impact of, climate-related events on equality or discrimination perspectives, or systematically investigated or discussed issues such as equity, rights, or equal opportunities in light of these perspectives.
Overall, the findings suggested that climate change and climate-related events reinforce existing population disparities. Who was most severely affected appeared to depend particularly on three factors: how close or how long a person was exposed to the climate event, how vulnerable they were to begin with, and what resources or opportunities they had to protect themselves and adapt afterwards. Groups more often found to be hardest hit by climate change and climate-related events were those with limited financial resources, weak social networks, poorer housing and neighbourhood quality, as well as older people, people with chronic illness or disability, people with mental health problems, low-income families, minorities, tenants, and unmarried or single individuals. In particular, older people stood out as the most vulnerable group, with a higher risk of death and illness in both heat and cold, often exacerbated by underlying health conditions and social isolation.
Housing, local environment, and urban structure appeared as key drivers of climate-related burden. Specifically, risk was higher for those living in urban heat islands, in areas with limited green spaces, in older and poorly insulated buildings, in higher floors, or in housing and temporary solutions without universal design. Living alone, having weak networks, or low social participation was associated with increased risk during heat, floods, wildfires, and storms. Support from family, friends, neighbours, and other informal networks appeared to reduce perceived burden and could partially mitigate group differences in climate-related impacts. People who received and understood warnings—for example, those with sufficient language and digital skills, or previous experience with similar events—were better prepared. The studies showed clear geographical differences among neighbourhoods, municipalities, and regions. Local housing standards, neighbourhood conditions, infrastructure, and health services were also important when it came to the climate-related burden, while the findings regarding gender differences were somewhat inconsistent.
Discussion
Despite our broad thematic approach to climate change, equality perspectives, and social inequality, the body of evidence from the 76 studies only partially answers the research questions. None of the included studies explicitly aimed to investigate possible connections between, or the impact of, climate-related events on equality. Furthermore, the evidence base shows that much of the existing research on climate-related events and social inequality addresses health-related outcomes, and that certain dimensions of social inequality remain underexplored. Nevertheless, the scoping review provides a useful summary of the findings from the included studies and a solid empirical starting point for understanding the connection between, and the impact of, climate change and social inequality.
The project’s resources and timeline were constricted, which necessitated some limitations on countries from which we would include research. We cannot rule out the existence of relevant research from countries beyond those included that could be transferable to a Norwegian context and might have contributed to deepening our findings further or addressing one or more of the knowledge gaps identified in this review. There is a need for greater research efforts in this field, including more primary research from Norway and the Nordic region on which factors are relevant for social vulnerability and equality, how these different factors interact, and the population’s adaptive capacity.
The findings of this scoping review should be interpreted and used with caution. The consequences of climate change and climate-related events are highly context-dependent, partly contradictory, and will likely change over time in step with changes in climate, demography, housing stock, policies, and service capacity. This points to the need for continuous, locally anchored knowledge gathering, systematic evaluation of measures, and flexible preparedness plans that can be adjusted according to who is actually affected, by what, where, and when.
Conclusion
Across different climate-related events, social inequality emerges as a three-part phenomenon: who is most exposed, who is most vulnerable, and who has the least capacity to adapt. The inequalities arise primarily through place of residence and housing, and are reinforced by economic situation, health, social networks, and access to health services. Low income, rental housing, and unfavourable living conditions in the residential area are consistently associated with higher exposure to climate-related events, lower preparedness, higher energy poverty, and fewer opportunities for adaptation. This also applies to gender minorities and groups with weaker social networks (e.g. single people), language barriers (e.g. immigrants), mental health problems, and disabilities.
When climate-related events occur, the research shows that those who already have limited access to information, public services, transport options, universally designed solutions, and health services become even more vulnerable and experience worsening health and living conditions. These barriers become amplification mechanisms that systematically worsen existing inequalities in society during climate-related events.