Willingness of the Arab Population in Israel to Adopt Household-level Climate Adaptation Measures I Abstract The Mediterranean region is a climate change hotspot, facing increasing climate-related hazards that contribute to a range of risks, including heat-related health impacts, flooding, and wildfires. Arab localities in Israel face specific challenges that intensify their vulnerability to these risks, including limited socio-economic resources, higher-than-average rates of heatrelated health risk factors, a larger proportion of outdoor workers exposed to extreme conditions, and a lack of public open spaces.1 Certain physical measures may contribute to urban climate resilience and adaptation. These include increasing the tree canopy to mitigate heat stress during the summer and heatwave events, as well as reducing impervious land cover to enhance rainwater runoff management. These measures are most effective when implemented at scale; thus, their adoption at the household level may support broader urban adaptation goals. This may be especially significant for Arab localities in Israel, whose rate of private land ownership is high, reaching as much 1 This report uses the terms climate hazards and climate-related risks. According to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) risk model, a “hazard” refers to climate phenomena such as intense rainfall, rising temperatures, heat waves, or drought. “Risk”, on the other hand, describes the possible outcomes of exposure to these hazards without the required coping capacity. For example, extreme heat is a hazard, and the associated risks may include damage to health, financial burden of high electricity costs, or agricultural harm. Intense rainfall is also a hazard, and its risks may include flooding, sewage overflow, etc. For the sake of simplicity and readability, the report may not consistently clearly distinguish between the terms, nevertheless, the meaning should be clear enough from the context.
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