There is a broad scientific consensus that climate change is occurring. Many areas of our coasts are already under threat from coastal hazards such as erosion and inundation. Future climate change is expected to have a range of repercussions. A combination of these changes and the current or increased development along our favourite coastlines will require an integrated view of the pressures and impacts in the coastal zone. However, how prepared are we to face these impacts of climate change where populations are growing and economic interests are expanding. To what extent do policy makers and planners understand potential changes and are prepared to act to reduce vulnerabilities, and how do we as scientists educate them on the changes in light of scientific uncertainty. In reviewing the present capacity to adapt to climate change on the Australian coast, it is apparent that there are gaps and uncertainties in current institutional arrangements, policy and government initiatives. Accordingly, the challenge is to work together to identify gaps in our management strategies and provide the necessary advice that links research, management, development, planning and economics. This paper is not a scientific paper but a paper about science and its role in future coastal management in grappling with what is a profound scientific, political, economic and anthropogenic problem. In broad terms, the paper provides a synthesis of the pressures and impacts of climate change on the Australian coast, implications for future coastal management and outlines ways forward being currently discussed and poses the idea, are the right questions being asked to address the escalating demands of climate change impacts.
Panayotou, K
Coastal Management and Climate Change: an Australian Perspective
Journal Of Coastal Research