Estimating Heat Vulnerability Index (HVI) in Indonesia

Extreme heat, as one of the climate change impacts, has hit various countries, including Indonesia. Extreme heat causes health problems and increases the death risk. The Heat Vulnerability Index (HVI) can aid in prioritizing areas requiring intervention in reducing the risk of extreme heat impacts. This study aims to estimate HVI in various provinces in Indonesia. The exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity parameters determine HVI. The indicators for the parameters are derived from the social, economic, and environmental demographic data originating from remote sensing data and official government reports. The percentile rank is used to determine the ranking of provinces at the indicator, parameter, and overall HVI levels. The results show that provinces in Indonesia have varying exposure, sensitivity, adaptive capacity, and HVI levels, indicating spatial variations in demographic, social, economic, and environmental conditions. The government can use the findings to decide which provinces must be prioritized to reduce extreme heat adverse effects. Comprehensive efforts to mitigate the adverse extreme heat impacts are suggested.