Speaker
Description
In addressing the impacts and consequences of climate change, there is often a socio-political narrative—particularly at the local level—that focuses on immediate responses and short-term futures. This narrative prioritizes the restoration or maintenance of the pre-event status quo, driven by the desires of affected populations and economic stakeholders, as well as the alignment with political cycles and electoral interests. Incremental adaptation and reconstruction are the most frequently advocated approaches, especially following sudden, high-intensity shock events. However, this conservative tendency is even more pronounced when dealing with slow-onset stresses, where the short-term horizon dominates. In this context, protection measures, emergency responses, and incremental adaptations are the most implemented, often overshadowing transformative opportunities that challenge the current paradigms of coexistence between coasts, their uses, and communities. Despite the existence of transformative windows of opportunity to address impacts with a long-term perspective, they remain underexplored and underutilized.
This contribute examines the adaptation strategies employed in low-lying urban coastal regions to address the challenges posed by climate change, including rising sea levels, storm surges, and coastal erosion. By analyzing current practices, the research identifies key principles and strategies applied in coastal adaptation, referencing the four main approaches outlined by the IPCC (2022): accommodation, planned retreat, strategic expansion, and protection. These strategies vary in their transformative potential, from enhancing existing infrastructure to coexisting with water, to relocating vulnerable communities, creating new land, or building robust coastal defences.
While incremental measures appear to dominate coastal management practices, transformative approaches such as planned retreats seem to face significant political and economic barriers. There appears to be a persistent tension between the prioritization of short-term protective strategies and the pursuit of long-term sustainability for coastal ecosystems. Exploring how local and national adaptation strategies can be better aligned may be key to fostering more effective and forward-looking responses to escalating climate risks.
However, critical questions remain: how can local decision-makers be encouraged to consider transformative approaches such as managed retreats? What are the socio-economic trade-offs associated with prioritizing protection versus accommodating natural processes? And how can coastal cities balance immediate needs with the long-term resilience of their landscapes? These questions are vital to shaping the future of coastal adaptation in the face of accelerating climate impacts.
References
IPCC (2022). Climate Change: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781009325844.002.
McGranahan, G., Balk, D., & Anderson, B. (2007). The rising tide: assessing the risks of climate change and human settlements in low elevation coastal zones. Environment and Urbanization, 19(1), 17-37. doi:10.1177/0956247807076960
Rosendahl Appelquist L., Balstrøm T. e Halsnæs K. (2016). Managing climate change hazards in coastal areas. United Nations Environment Programme. ISBN: 978-92-807-3593-2
| Keywords | Climate change adaptation; Urban coastlines; Coastal Adaptation Strategies; Planning |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | No |
