Coastal Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerabilities - Climate ...

xxxCoastal Impacts, Adaptation, and VulnerabilitiesffffffAlthough adaptation planning has an increasingly rich portfolio of case studiesthat contribute to shared learning, the implementation of adaptation plans hasproceeded at a much slower pace. Very High Confidence.Elements commonly found in adaptation plans include vulnerability assessments,monitoring and indicators, capacity building, education and outreach,regulatory and programmatic changes, implementation strategies, and a sectorby-sectorapproach. Very High Confidence.Although state and federal governments play a major role in facilitating adaptationplanning, most coastal adaptation will be implemented at the local level.Local governments are the primary actors charged with making the critical,basic land-use and public investment decisions and with working with communitystakeholder groups to implement adaptive measures on the ground. VeryHigh Confidence.Climate change is altering all types of ecosystems and impacting human welfare andhealth, but effects are highly varied, pronounced along coasts, and likely to acceleratein decades ahead. A lack of understanding of the cumulative effects of climate and nonclimatestressors as well as the interactions between human and natural systems currentlylimits our ability to predict the extent of climate impacts. An integrated scientificprogram that seeks to learn from the historic and recent geologic past, and monitorsongoing physical, environmental, and societal changes will improve the level of knowledgeand reduce the uncertainty about potential responses of coasts to sea-level rise andother drivers of coastal change. This, in turn, will improve the ability of communities toassess their vulnerability and to identify and implement adaptation options that addressthe impacts and associated uncertainties of the projections.