Assessment of vulnerability to climate change in the Inner Mongolia steppe at a county scale from 1980 to 2009

Most of Inner Mongolia is covered with natural grassland and is highly sensitive to global climate change because of the physical geography, the highly variable climate, and the complicated socioeconomic conditions. The climate is generally wetter in the east becoming drier towards the west of the region. Using a Pressure-State-Response model to select climate-related assessment indicators, a vulnerability assessment to climate change framework of counties in Inner Mongolia was built, which included three layers and 17 indicators. Climate change vulnerability of eight counties in the steppe area of Inner Mongolia was assessed from 1980 to 2009. The results showed that in the past 30 years, climate change vulnerability of eight counties has decreased with the decrease more pronounced after 2000. The lowest value for vulnerability was in 2008. The vulnerability of the western region was higher than that of the eastern region. Counties with a desert ecological system had a higher vulnerability than counties with steppe. Under the background of exposure increasing and sensitivity slightly decreasing, a continuing significant improvement in adaptive capacity is the key reason for a reduction invulnerability of the Inner Mongolia steppe area to climate change. The volatility of the climate on an inter-annual scale can cause changes in vulnerability between years. With the development of the rural economy and increases in national investment in the environment, the vulnerability of the Inner Mongolian steppe has been significantly reduced, but, overall, the vulnerability remains high. Most of the counties are moderately vulnerable, some counties are seriously vulnerable, even extremely vulnerable, and strong measures need to be adopted to strengthen the ability to adapt to climate change.