Adapting to a changing climate in the management of coastal zones

This paper discusses, how today, ocean and sea coasts are home to 2.4 billion people – approximately 40% of the world’s population. While coastal areas occupy only 20% of the global land surface, their population density is three times higher than the global average. In addition, 75% of the largest metropolitan areas lie in coastal areas, and the global population in low-elevation coastal zones (i.e. within 10 metres above sea level) is projected to reach 1.4 billion by 2060.

The interactions between socio-economic development, coastal ecosystems and climate risks pose complex challenges and require adapted and coordinated policy responses. As growing climate variability and climate extremes pose increasing challenges to coastal areas, climate adaptation and coastal resilience should be key objectives in the planning and implementation of coastal zone policies. The authors stipulate that successful coastal strategies need to integrate policy responses across different sectors and levels of government as well as non-governmental stakeholders.

The paper provides a comprehensive assessment of the recent and projected socio-economic development of coastal areas. It reviews the environmental pressures exerted by human activities on coastal areas, as well as the impacts of climate change that exacerbate existing challenges. The paper calls for a coordinated and well-adapted policy response to address these challenges.