Emerging Climate Change Coastal Adaptation Strategies and Case Studies around the World

Publication: Book Section
Citation: Martinez, Grit; Daniel Blobel; Livia Bizikova and Rob Swart 2011: "Emerging Climate Change Coastal Adaptation Strategies and Case Studies around the World", in: Gerald; Hofstede Schernewski, Jacobus; Neumann, Thomas (ed.): Global Change and Baltic Coastal Zones Coastal Research Library, Vol. 1]. Berlin and Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag GmbH, 249-273.

Climate change and ongoing transformations in the economy and agriculture will have numerous, strong impacts on the Baltic Region. The book "Global Change and Baltic Coastal Zones" provides comprehensive information on these changes, their consequences and the practical challenges they pose. Grit Martinez and Daniel Blobel from Ecologic Institute, along with co-authors Livia Bizikova (International Institute for Sustainable Development) and Rob Swart (Alterra Wageningen University and Research Centre), contributed a comparative analysis of climate change adaptation projects and strategies in different coastal regions of the world. The publication is supported by the RADOST project (Regional Adaptation Strategies for the German Baltic Sea Coast), which Ecologic Institute coordinates.

Presently, about 40 % of the world's population lives within 100 km of a coastline. Since climate change and sea level rise are relatively new policy challenges, experiences with choosing and designing appropriate response measures are scarce and fragmentary in coastal areas. Increasing the availability and transfer of pertinent knowledge across national boundaries can also assist in furthering coastal safety.

This chapter focuses on the management of adaptation activities encompassed by the RADOST project and its international partner regions. Attention is given to the operationalisation of regional adaptation measures, ways to increase resilience, regional adaptive governance and learning processes.

Success factors to increase the resilience of coastal areas include cooperation of a broad range of organisations and the engagement of stakeholders, careful planning of a sequence of policies and measures over time, designating risk areas, revising principles for natural resource management along the coasts, awareness raising about preferred development practices, and integrating climate concerns with other social, economic and environmental objectives. This requires maintaining connections to existing policy and decision-making processes and building or strengthening partnerships among the relevant sectors of the local or regional communities.

The book is available for sale at Springer Publisher at a price of € 106,95.

Environmental Research = Social Sciences + Humanities + Environmental Science

1 September 2015
Dr. Grit Martinez

News

Between 2009 and 2014 the RADOST project team developed regional adaptation strategies in a dialogue between research institutions, business, public administration and civil society. 36 reports were published as part of the RADOST report series.

RADOST Report Series

Investigating innovative approaches to climate adaptation

30 June 2014

Publication:Book Section

The BACC II (Second Assessment of Climate Change for the Baltic Sea basin) is an updated assessment of ongoing climate variations in the Baltic Basin for the period 2009-2014. The book is an update of the first BACC assessment, published in 2008, and offers new and updated scientific findings in regional climate research for the Baltic Sea basin. The evidence collected and presented in BACC II shows that the regional climate has already started to change and this is expected to continue. Dr. Grit Martinez from Ecologic Institute is co-author of the article 'Climate Science and Communication for the Baltic Sea Region'. BACC II is a project of the Baltic Earth research network and contributes to the World Climate Research Programme.

Climate Science and Communication for the Baltic Sea Region

How do Scientist and Political Decision Makers Estimate Climate Change in the Baltic Sea Region?

Year 2015

Publication:Book Section

What makes adaptation measures successful, and how can they be used as good examples? In his recent article "The view beyond the horizon – International examples of climate adaptation", Dr. Nico Stelljes aims to answer this question using different success factors for the classification of good examples of adaptation to climate change, presenting five examples of adaptation measures. The article was published in the seventh volume of the OEKOM series 'Climate Change within Regions'.

Der Blick über den Tellerrand

Internationale Beispiele der Klimaanpassung

Year 2015

Publication:Book Section

Over 123 million Americans and nearly half of European citizens live on or near their respective coasts. What coastal stakeholders in Europe and the U.S. learn from each other to safeguarding their shores has been explored in a publication by Dr. Grit Martinez from Ecologic Institute in collaboration with colleagues from Duke and Humboldt University.

The Cultural Context of Climate Change Adaptation

Cases from the U.S. East Coast and the German Baltic Sea Coast

Year 2014

Publication:Book Section

Climate change perceptions and attitudes towards climate adaptation measures are critical in determining local actions, their main focus, and the way in which new challenges and measures are approached. The author, Doris Knoblauch, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, comes to the conclusion that coastal protection is predominant among potential climate adaptation measures. Therefore, other measures do not receive enough attention in the German Baltic sea region.

Klimawandel an der deutschen Ostseeküste: Was relevante Akteure über Anpassungsmaßnahmen denken

Ergebnisse einer Befragung in Politik, Verwaltung und Zivilgesellschaft

Year 2014

Publication:Book Section

In the future, climate change can impact the effectiveness and costs of water quality improvement measures. This must be taken into account when selecting measures to implement in accordance with the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). Until now, the consequences of climate change have not been systematically incorporated into the economic analyses called for by the WFD. A new book chapter evaluates the basic approaches used to date, thereby contributing to the necessary discussion on how existing and future programs of measures consider and integrate the consequences of climate change.

Berücksichtigung von Anpassungsaspekten in der Gewässerentwicklungsplanung aus ökonomischer Sicht

Year 2014

Publication:Book Section

The German Bundesländer Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern both lie on the Baltic Sea coast. Their attitudes towards a) climate change adaptation and b) the way in which local communities and industries shape their climate change adaptation measures are different. Doris Knoblauch and Dr. Nico Stelljes, both Fellows at Ecologic Institute suggest in their article that there are cultural settings, which influence the perception of climate change and, consequently, the proposed adaptation measures in the two states.

Regional Perspectives Concerning Climate Change and Coastal Adaptation

A comparison between Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Schleswig-Holstein

Year 2014

Publication:Book

In their book "Social Dimensions of Climate Change Adaptation in Coastal Regions" Grit Martinez (Ecologic Institute), Peter Fröhle, and Hans-Joachim Meier address often overlooked but key societal aspects that influence stakeholders to engage or not to engage in adapting to a changing climate. Therefore sociocultural and ecological dimensions of adaptation to a changing climate in coastal regions are the focus of the anthology.

Social Dimensions of Climate Change Adaptation in Coastal Regions

Findings from Transdisciplinary Research

Year 2014

Language: English
Authorship: Dr. Grit Martinez

Daniel Blobel

Livia Bizikova

Rob Swart
Published in: Book: Global Change and Baltic Coastal Zones
Published by: Springer-Verlag, Germany
Year: 2011
Dimension: 26 pp.
ISBN: 978-94-007-0399-5
ISSN: 2211-0577
Project: Regional Adaptation Strategies for the German Baltic Sea Coast (RADOST)
Project ID: 2202
Keywords: Adaptation

Climate

Coastal + Marine

Culture + Ecology

EU

Evaluation

Governance

climate change, adaptation, coastal zones, sustainable development

Baltic Sea

Further Links

Project Website: RADOST

NewsScience-practice dialogue on climate adaptation at the German Baltic Sea coast - 2nd annual RADOST conference

PublicationReport1. RADOST Jahresbericht

Longer and warmer summers on the German Baltic Sea coast: this is a possible implication of climate change that could certainly also serve as an opportunity for the tourism sector. At the same time however, negative impacts such as increased algae growth are also... Read more

RADOST-Verbund 2011: 1. RADOST-Jahresbericht. Ecologic Institut (Hrsg.), Berlin. RADOST-Berichtsreihe, Bericht No 1.

PublicationReportRADOST Akteursanalyse – Teil II: Auswertung der Befragung von Akteuren aus Politik, Verwaltung und Zivilgesellschaft

How do relevant stakeholders on the Baltic Sea Coast perceive climate change in their region? What adaptation measures are well known and which should be implemented? Additionally, who are the relevant stakeholders? These and other questions are answered in the first... Read more

Knoblauch, Doris; Zoritza Kiresiewa; Franziska Stuke and Anneke von Raggamby 2012: RADOST Akteursanalyse - Teil II: Auswertung der Befragung von Akteuren aus Politik, Verwaltung und Zivilgesellschaft. Ecologic Institute.

KLIMZUG – Managing climate change in the regions for the future