Sårbaritet

Sårbaritet is a concept used in risk assessment to describe the susceptibility of a system, population, or individual to harm and the capacity to cope with or adapt to adverse effects. The term is closely related to the Nordic word sårbarhet and is used across disciplines such as sociology, ecology, climatology, and information security to capture how much harm could occur and how well it could be managed.

Vulnerability is not the hazard itself but the properties that determine the impact of a hazard. In risk analysis, risk is often described as hazard multiplied by exposure and vulnerability. Reducing vulnerability can lower risk even if the hazard remains constant.

Contexts of sårbaritet vary: social vulnerability involves poverty, health status, age, disability, or social marginalization that limit adaptation; ecological vulnerability concerns the sensitivity of ecosystems to climate change, pollution, or invasive species; technological vulnerability refers to weaknesses in software, hardware, or networks that increase the chance of disruption or exploitation.

Assessment of sårbaritet uses indicators such as exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. Climate vulnerability assessments, disaster risk analyses, and security audits are examples of approaches to measuring it. Management aims to reduce vulnerability through mitigation and adaptation in the physical and social environment, or through patching, hardening, and defense-in-depth in information systems.

See also: resilience, risk, exposure, adaptive capacity, vulnerability assessment.