COASTAL FLOODING AND CLIMATE-RELATED RISKS IN LAUNTON

Teaching Notes

Climate change threatens infrastructure, other components of the built environment, and coastal ecosystems. While there is overwhelming evidence that the climate is changing and sea levels are rising, exactly how and when the impacts of climate change will materialize in any particular place remains unclear. Adaptation efforts will be necessary to protect human development and ecosystems, but are likely to be complicated by the fact that stakeholders vary in their level of concern about whether and to what extent climate change is an issue that must be addressed now. Additionally, in many places there is strong disagreement about what, if anything, government needs to do to manage climate change risks. Despite these challenges, adaptation decisions will have to be made in order to reduce future impacts, and it is increasingly important that cities and towns take the best possible scientific projections into account as they make collective judgments everyday about what infrastructure to build, what development to allow, and what land conservation efforts should be given priority.

This seven-party, multi-issue negotiation exercise introduces a facilitated approach to collaborative risk management. It illustrates the value of engaging key stakeholders in joint decision-making in light of scientific uncertainty. Participants must consider the impact of current land-use decisions and infrastructure investments on their community's economic wellbeing and safety, as well as its ecological stability, in the face of climate change risks.

Scenario

The coastal New England town of Launton has faced increasingly intense storms over the past decade, resulting in significant damage to homes and businesses. The town is concerned about climate change increasing the vulnerability of coastal neighborhoods as sea level rises and more extreme precipitation events exacerbate coastal flooding and storm surges. The eastern part of town has many homes and businesses and is vital to the town's economy and tax base. Tourism is important in Launton, and many of the town's most valuable summer homes appear to be in vulnerable neighborhoods.

Because of recent storm damage and fears about what would have happened if Hurricane Paul, which caused severe damage farther south, had hit Launton, the town has decided to incorporate climate change adaptation into its Comprehensive Plan update scheduled for next year. The Town Manager has convened a task force to recommend ways of reducing potential damage to existing development and reducing climate-related risks associated with future development in Launton.