Is the coastal future green, grey or hybrid? Diverse perspectives on coastal flood risk management and adaptation in the UK
Abstract
Climate change-induced sea level rise has exacerbated coastal change putting millions of people at risk from coastal hazards, such as flooding and coastal erosion. Nature-based solutions have been recognised as an opportunity to simultaneously address the coastal hazard risks and achieve biodiversity goals. While such solutions are included in climate adaptation strategies, “hard” engineered solutions are still often preferred by those implementing the schemes. We sought to explore the diverse perspectives on UK coastal flood risk management among interested and/or affected groups by utilising the Q-methodology. We identified five perspectives: (1) The Pro-Green Practitioners; (2) The Future-Planning Relocators; (3) The Case-by-Case Thinkers; (4) The Cautious Practitioners and (5) The Climate Change Concerned. All five perspectives strongly valued the co-benefits of nature-based solutions and their role in coastal risk reduction. None of the perspectives prioritised hard-engineered solutions as the primary flood protection strategy in the UK, though they recognised their role in protecting essential infrastructure. The main disagreements between perspectives were (1) on the need for relocation strategies, and (2) whether nature-based solutions could cause social inequalities. The Q-methodology does not identify how prevalent such perspectives are, thus further research is needed to assess the social acceptance of nature-based solutions.
Citation
Apine , E & Stojanovic , T 2024 , ' Is the coastal future green, grey or hybrid? Diverse perspectives on coastal flood risk management and adaptation in the UK ' , Cambridge Prisms: Coastal Futures , vol. 2 , no. e4 , pp. 1-13 . https://doi.org/10.1017/cft.2024.4
Publication
Cambridge Prisms: Coastal Futures
Status
Peer reviewed
Type
Journal article
Description
This work was conducted within the Co-Opt research project funded through the NERC-ESRC Sustainable Management of Marine Resources Programme (NCR10332). This study was supported by the grant NE/V016245/1.Collections
Items in the St Andrews Research Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Impacts of climate change on coastal habitats, relevant to the coastal and marine environment around the UK
Burden, Annette; Smeaton, Craig; Angus, Stuart; Garbutt, Angus; Jones, Laurence; Lewis, Heather; Rees, Sue (2020-01-15) - Journal itemCoastal habitats are at risk from both direct (temperature, rainfall), and indirect (sea-level rise, coastal erosion) impacts due to a changing climate. Beyond the environmental impacts and ensuing habitat loss, the changing ... -
The coastal defence in Scandinavia : the role and composition of the military organisation in the Viking and early Middle Ages
Skoglund, Fredrik Kvarme (University of St Andrews, 2003) - ThesisThis thesis sets out to examine the coastal defence in Scandinavia in the Viking and early middle ages, with main emphasis on Norway, the organisation and the elements' level of co-existence. The idea is that the military ... -
Ecology of Pacific white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens) in the coastal waters of British Columbia, Canada
Ashe, Erin (University of St Andrews, 2015) - ThesisThe ecology of Pacific white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens) in the Broughton Archipelago, British Columbia (BC), Canada was explored through photo-identification, mark- recapture, acoustics, and sociality ...