A New Dataset Could Aid Climate Justice Research

"Many studies focusing on the damages and financial consequences of climate change rely on commercial datasets that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to purchase. Those costs can be a significant hurdle for many researchers and communities.

Instead, the SEPHER dataset combines data from many publicly available sources, including:

• the Social Vulnerability Index from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which includes an array of socioeconomic data as well as information regarding disability and minority status;
• FEMA’s National Risk Index for Natural Hazards, which combines the likelihood and expected losses from natural hazards with social vulnerability factors and resilience capabilities;
• Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data, including information about whether mortgage applications were approved or denied, property characteristics, and applicant demographics such as ethnicity, race, and gender;
• Eviction data from the Eviction Lab at Princeton University;
• Rental price trends for properties...."