6.2.6—Climate change impacts on societies
- Syllabus
- First assessment 2026
- Objective
- 6.2.6
- Level
- SL
Turn a Climate Hazard into an Impact Chain
A hazard becomes an impact through exposure and vulnerability; recovery depends on infrastructure, health, income, governance and social support.
Trace hazard → exposed people or assets → mechanism → sector outcome → capacity to recover. Relevant sectors include health, water supply, agriculture and infrastructure, and the same hazard can produce different outcomes across socioeconomic conditions.
A heatwave may raise illness, water demand and crop stress while damaging transport or power systems; early warning, robust services, income and governance can reduce losses and speed recovery.
A physical event becomes a social impact only when people, livelihoods or infrastructure are exposed; resilience depends on resources, institutions and social support.
Recovery capacity is not a moral trait; it reflects resources, institutions, exposure and historical inequality.