Work in Progress

Climate change alters the risk profiles of extreme weather events and the asso- ciated frequency and intensity of natural disasters. This raises the question of the extent to which cities and their associated local economic activity are adapting. I examine this in the context of wildfire impacts on urban areas using global, spatially disaggregated data. I find that locations in cities with low to moderate elevation are particularly affected and yet, while being subject to extreme weather conditions, concentrate disproportionate levels of economic activity. When locations are ex- posed, existing areas are affected more severely and for a longer period of time, with estimates more pronounced in particularly vulnerable areas. Changes in land cover caused by wildfires confirm the described pattern.