The Small Changes: Coastal Vulnerability to Sea Level Rise

Wednesday 23 March 2016 Our love affair with coastal living is at risk.Coastal properties and infrastructure systems in Australia are being significantly impacted with intensified storm surges and beach erosion processes. As the environment changes, there is mounting interest in local values in the literature on climate change adaptation and planning. But this appears to raise more questions than answers. Can local values help us in negotiating the conflicting interests associated with the beach or choosing amongst adaptation options, from engineering protection measures to rezoning and retreat? And, more broadly, how do we reconcile the local nature of climate change impacts with the various levels of ecological, institutional and legal processes at play?In this talk, Associate Professor Abbas El-Zein, School of Civil Engineering, University of Sydney and Tayanah O’Donnell, University of Canberra unpack the complexities associated with rising sea levels and the decision-making being made at a municipal level. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.