Besides the rural populations' access to facilities and rate of
exposure to threats, it is also important to inquire about the
awareness of the rural population to threats. The Yellow River Delta
and its inhabitants are vulnerable to relative sea level rise due to its
low geography and subsidence due to natural resource extraction
(Higgins et al., 2013). Meanwhile, climate variability can lead to
changed weather patterns (droughts and pluvial floods). The re-
spondents were asked if they are aware of climate change and sea
level rise, and the potential threats these have on the Yellow River
Delta. 35% of the respondents indicated that they heard about these
processes (Fig. 10A). When asked to give their opinion about surface
water, drinking water, and air pollution, the majority of re-
spondents expressed concern (86%, 80%, and 85% respectively).