Analysis of Climate Adaptation Strategies for Southeast U.S. Coastal Cities
Date
2008-04-25
Author
Advisors
Gallagher, Deborah Rigling
Eggers, Dolores
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Abstract
The realities of climate change are no longer future predictions to address in years
to come. Impacts to Southeast coastal communities from rising sea levels, strange
weather, and stronger storms caused by a warming planet are occurring today. Trends
in scientific measurements clearly indicate that temperatures are rising, sea ice
is melting, and storm intensity is increasing. The Southeast coastline is particularly
vulnerable to these changes and local communities are the first to feel the impacts
and address the needs. Yet many conversations about adaptation to climate change impacts
are only occurring at high levels of government concerning international issues. Local
decision-makers in the Southeast U.S. need tools to identify strategies that will
provide adequate protection to their citizens as well as to manage environmental quality
and prepare for any uncertainties.
This Master’s project identifies primary and secondary climate change impacts to coastal
areas of the Southeast U.S. A preliminary analysis was conducted to identify the societal
implications incurred from impacts and the specific sector of society to which those
impacts correspond. A resiliency criterion analysis was then created to qualitatively
examine climate adaptation response strategies through three core evaluation mechanisms:
adequate adaptive capacity, environmental sustainability, and the win-win nature of
measures. To test the usefulness of the resiliency criteria, sea level rise response
strategies were analyzed. Methods for this project included an extensive literature
review of scientific findings as well as in-depth interviews with nine professional
experts in the fields of government, academia, and coastal environmental non-profit
organizations.
The results of the criteria analysis indicate that measures receiving a “very high”
ranking thoroughly meet the resiliency goals of maximizing human safety, community
protection, environmental sustainability, and flexibility. Measures ranking “low”
or “very low” fail the resiliency criteria in two or more categories and likely contribute
to environmental degradation. Reviewing adaptation strategies for resiliency is an
effective determination of strategic response initiatives. Creating communities resilient
to climate change will require local officials to utilize tools such as this to choose
optimal adaptation strategies.
Type
Master's projectPermalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/515Citation
Reeves, Ulla-Britt (2008). Analysis of Climate Adaptation Strategies for Southeast U.S. Coastal Cities. Master's project, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/515.Collections
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