ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: The assessment of vulnerability plays a key role in the design of drought mitigation strategies. This study maps several factors that contribute to increase or decrease vulnerability to drought at a pan-European level. The mapping exercise started from the selection of vulnerability factors through the analysis of specific situations of vulnerability in different economic sectors. The resulting factors were further supported and framed through an extensive review of vulnerability studies. Then they were described using specific variables and, finally, they were combined to characterize sensitivity and adaptive capacity at the NUTS-2 scale. The results of the study allow the identification of ‘hotspots’ for these vulnerability components and, at the same time, provide an insight into the root causes of vulnerability, hence helping to guide decision-making processes for the mitigation of drought impacts at a pan-European level.
