Bridging climate science, law, and policy to advance coastal adaptation planning

J Reiblich,E Hartge,L.M Wedding,S Killian,G.M Verutes

doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2019.02.028

J Reiblich, E Hartge + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2019.02.028

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Abstract

Rising seas, more frequent storms and other climate-driven coastal hazards necessitate adaptation planning measures to protect people and property. To date, coastal vulnerability assessments have prioritized the most exposed areas of coastline, but there is a gap between recognized climate science and the feasibility or suitability considerations relevant for implementing coastal adaptation strategies—including legal, policy, financial, or engineered approaches—to address coastal threats. This paper sets forth a methodology for bridging the gap between climate science, law and coastal adaptation policies. This methodology seeks to connect spatial analysis methods with attributes of coastal adaptation strategies that make them inherently place-based—ranging from engineered solutions, to legal strategies and financial tools—to determine where they are legally feasible and suitable. Both spatial and non-spatial limiting and enabling conditions of coastal adaptation policies drive these determinations. The methodology integrates a spatial framework using feasibility statements derived by 1) coupling these conditions and features with spatial information (e.g., zoning, land use/land cover, geomorphologic features), and 2) identifying suitability conditions through synthesizing policy considerations for each coastal adaptation strategy.

Highlights

Climate change, rising seas and increasingly destructive winter storms prompt swift, proactive planning to deal with a rapidly changing California coastline
While coastal vulnerability assessments convey a vast amount of information that is useful for policymakers, these summaries are only a first step
Statewide engagement meetings with coastal planners and managers revealed the importance of identifying possible adaptation strategies along the California coast, with an emphasis on feasible options for local jurisdictions facing nearterm climate change impacts

Summary

Introduction

Climate change, rising seas and increasingly destructive winter storms prompt swift, proactive planning to deal with a rapidly changing California coastline. While coastal vulnerability assessments convey a vast amount of information that is useful for policymakers (e.g. number of people at risk, potential habitat degradation and loss, and value of infrastructure exposed to erosion and flooding), these summaries are only a first step. These assessments stop short of identifying the coastal adaptation strategies that are feasible or suitable in certain locations—i.e. they do not directly link the science to specific, preferred place-based policies [6]. Vulnerability assessments have been critiqued for not providing actionable science [7]

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