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Vulnerability is the extent to which natural, built and human systems are at risk due to exposure to and consequences of climate hazards. Vulnerability is also modulated by adaptive capacity, which is a community or system's ability to respond to or recover from climate impacts. Physical, social, political and economic factors can all contribute to community adaptive capacity. Legacies of systemic racism, economic underinvestment, and legacies of extractive or polluting land uses in communities mean that not all communities or populations are equally vulnerable to the same climate risks. Learn more.