1998 Year of the Ocean Impacts of Global Climate Change 



The cost-effectiveness of these adaptation strategies is enhanced to the extent that they 

 are planned and implemented in the context of integrated coastal management programs carried 

 out at various levels of government. 



Integrated coastal management is a continuous, iterative, adaptive, and consensus- 

 building process comprised of a set of related tasks, all of which must be carried out to achieve a 

 set of goals for the sustainable use of coastal areas, including adapting to the effects of climate 

 change (Bower, Ehler, and Basta, 1994). The dimensions of integrated coastal management 

 include: 



• Integration of policies and programs across and among sectors of the economy — e.g., 

 economic development, transportation, recreation, and agriculture 



• Integration among agencies involved in coastal management at all levels of 

 government, including both vertical (national, subnational, and local) and horizontal 

 (across the same level of government) integration 



• Integration between public- and private-sector management activities 



• 



• 



Integration between management actions that affect the land and water environments 

 of coastal areas, and areas upstream and upwind of coastal areas. 



Integration among the disciplines of coastal management, including ecology, 

 economics, engineering, and political science. 



At the federal level, agencies such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have 

 produced a number of studies which have begun to look at projected global climate change 

 impacts on specific resources such as wetlands and to consider possible response options. 



Individual states have used all three management strategies. Beach re-nourishment has 

 been prominent in heavily developed areas (e.g., Miami, Florida and Ocean City, Maryland) 

 where existing investments and the income generated by beach users is considered greater than 

 the costs of the re-nourishment projects. Sea walls are often built to protect lives and property, 

 but the trade-off is often the loss of usable beaches and other habitats. Most of these actions are 

 taken to address current conditions and needs. 



State and local government responses to future accelerated sea level rise scenarios 

 include: 



(1) taking accelerated sea-level rise into account when filling wetlands for water- 

 dependent facilities (ports) — ^which requires an applicant to raise the fill level so 

 facilities will not have to be abandoned during their 50-100 year life expectancy (San 

 Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission); 



G-35 



