1998 Year of the Ocean Impacts of Global Climate Change 



community, including the illiterate, who may form a significant segment of the stakeholder 

 population. 



Opportunities and Barriers (What Works Well and What Doesn't) 



While climate change impacts such as accelerated sea level rise are a potentially major 

 concern, state and local governments have hesitated to address the issues effectively because of 

 the relatively long-term nature of the problem, scientific uncertainties and, in some cases, the 

 large investments required. Because of scientific debate and uncertainties, few are willing to 

 develop potentially costly management strategies for which the benefits will not be realized for 

 years to come. Consequently, management responses to climate change impacts have been 

 gradual since the early 1980s, but pioneering efforts have been important for U.S. policy makers. 



In response to potential commitments and obligations under the United Nations 

 Framework Convention on Climate Change, many nations, including the United States, are 

 preparing national climate change action plans that identify management strategies to reduce 

 greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the potential impacts of long-term climate change. The 

 successful implementation of these plans and their management strategies within individual 

 countries, including the United States, will depend to a large measure on the extent of their 

 integration into the implementation of other national and sectoral management plans, including 

 coastal management plans. 



Adapting to sea-level rise and other effects of climate change will involve important 

 trade-offs that weigh environmental, economic, social, and cultural values. Effects will depend 

 not only on the local patterns and intensity of climate change, but also on the nature of the local 

 coastal environment; on the human, ecological, and physical responsiveness of the affected 

 coastal system; and on actions in other sectors of the coastal and national economies. Given the 

 long time frames involved in reducing the magnitude of global warming, it is vital that steps be 

 taken now to manage the impacts that almost certainly will occur in islands and low-lying coastal 

 areas. 



Options for Consideration 



The following suggestions are offered based on the preceding discussion: 



1 . Continued investments in research, monitoring and economic methods for quantifying 

 the social costs of climate change are needed to improve the information base for 

 adapting to climate change and for coastal management. For example, the United 

 States should take a leadership role in developing and advancing implementation of 

 the Coastal Module of the Global Ocean Observing System, and particularly one of 

 its key elements, the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network. 



2. As indicated in the IPCC 1995 Assessment Report, more work is necessary for 

 quantifying the social costs of climate change. Net climate change damages include 



G-41 



