A new federal study is attempting to reframe the national discussion about coastal risk and relief, and it behooves local communities and coastal advocates to be part of this conversation from the beginning.
The study, issued by the National Research Council in late July, calls for “ a national vision for managing risks from coastal storms… that includes a long-term view, regional solutions, and recognition of the full array of economic, social, environmental and life-safety benefits. ” That is as all-encompassing as it sounds, and the authors spend a considerable amount of effort exploring the options available to “ move a nation that is primarily reactive to coastal disasters to one that invests wise in coastal risk reduction and builds resilience among coastal communities.”
The study lays out the landscape for coastal risk management and assesses how various risk reduction strategies perform in reality, offering useful insights among the analysis that will be familiar to those already toiling in the coastal protection field.
The heavy lifting comes in deciding how to manage – and invest in – coastal risk reduction, where the authors ultimately opt to balance between a risk-standard approach (seeking a uniform risk reduction across the coastal board) and a benefit-cost approach (investing in risk reduction where the benefits exceed the costs).
It is the conclusions which the study draws that should make coastal advocates pay attention, for there is something for everyone in its outline:
[mappress]
September 24, 2014