Group report: Global change and the European coast — climate change and economic development

The effects of climate change on economic development in the coastal zone cannot be ignored in future coastal zone management plans. This chapter reports the outcome of the group discussion centred round the three questions posed by Nicholls and Klein on how the coastal zone can be effectively managed in the future. The first question asked how we can marry together the human and natural values of a system in the upcoming decades. The results of the discussion highlighted the utility of using scenarios to obtain good management plans that take into account the three provisions of human safety, economic development and ecological integrity while still achieving a situation of sustainable development. The second question addressed the tools required to achieve these management goals and discusses the role of public participation and media communication. The third question asked what proactive strategies can be used to effectively manage the coastal zone in the 21st Century and an example of the Humber estuary management plan is given. It is proposed that a robust and flexible integrated coastal zone management plan is the only effective way to manage the coastal zone in a sustainable manner in the uncertain face of climate change.

[1]  R. Nicholls,et al.  A global analysis of human settlement in coastal zones , 2003 .

[2]  R. Misdorp,et al.  Coastal dynamic lowlands—the role of water in the development of The Netherlands: past, present, future. Introduction , 1998 .

[3]  Robert J. Nicholls,et al.  Coastal resilience and planning for uncertainty , 1998 .

[4]  N. Mimura,et al.  Coastal Zones and Marine Ecosystems , 2001 .

[5]  A. J. Davy,et al.  Coastal Environments: An Introduction to the Physical, Ecological and Cultural Systems of Coastlines. , 1989 .

[6]  Alexei G. Sankovski,et al.  Special report on emissions scenarios : a special report of Working group III of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change , 2000 .

[7]  D. Boesch.  Challenges and opportunities for science in reducing nutrient over-enrichment of coastal ecosystems , 2002 .

[8]  Michele Capobianco,et al.  A summary of European experience with shore nourishment , 2002 .

[9]  D. Dokken,et al.  Climate change 2001 , 2001 .

[10]  John Robert Lawrence Allen,et al.  Morphodynamics of Holocene salt marshes: a review sketch from the Atlantic and Southern North Sea coasts of Europe , 2000 .

[11]  Land-ocean interactions in the coastal zone: The LOICZ project , 1996 .

[12]  R. Turner,et al.  Integrated environmental assessment and coastal futures , 2005 .

[13]  E. N. Buckley,et al.  Technological options for adaptation to climate change in coastal zones , 2001 .

[14]  John Luke Gallup,et al.  Estimates of Coastal Populations , 1997 .

[15]  R. Nicholls.  Coastal megacities and climate change , 1995 .

[16]  H. Hansona,et al.  Beach nourishment projects, practices, and objectives—a European overview , 2002 .

[17]  J. Bongaarts,et al.  Global Environment Outlook , 1998 .

[18]  Laurens M. Bouwer,et al.  Managing European coasts : past, present, and future , 2005 .

[19]  Alcira Kreimer,et al.  Building safer cities : the future of disaster risk , 2003 .

[20]  P. W. French.  Coastal and Estuarine Management , 1998 .

[21]  Preparing to meet the coastal challenges of the 21st century : conference report, World Coast Conference 1993, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, 1-5 November 1993 , 1994 .

[22]  M. Trimmer,et al.  Nutrient Fluxes Through the Humber Estuary—Past, Present and Future , 2000 .

[23]  R. Nicholls,et al.  Assessment of coastal vulnerability to climate change , 1999 .

[24]  W. Lise,et al.  Group report: institutional and capacity requirements for implementation of the Water Framework Directory , 2005 .

[25]  R. Nicholls.  The resilience of coastal megacities to weather related hazards: a review , 2003 .

[26]  Robert J. Nicholls,et al.  Benefits of mitigation of climate change for coastal areas , 2004 .

[27]  Thomas Maxwell,et al.  Integrated ecological economic modeling of the Patuxent River Watershed, Maryland , 2002 .

[28]  P. Saenger.  Coastal environments: an introduction to the physical, ecological and cultural systems of coastlines by RWG Carter: book review , 1992 .

[29]  Robert J. Nicholls,et al.  Group report: Integrated assessment and future scenarios for the coast , 2005 .

[30]  Robert J. Nicholls,et al.  Climate change and coastal management on Europe's coast , 2005 .

[31]  J. Houghton,et al.  Climate change 2001 : the scientific basis , 2001 .

[32]  M. Parry,et al.  Assessment of potential effects and adaptations for climate change in Europe : the Europe acacia project , 2000 .

[33]  W. Adger,et al.  Pressures, trends, and impacts in coastal zones: Interactions between socioeconomic and natural systems , 1996 .