Adaptation Plans for Coastal Cities Inadequate in Face of Increasing Cryosphere Loss

Nature Cities, 26 August 2024

Current measures taken by most coastal cities to adapt to climate change, especially in light of cryosphere-related impacts such as rising seas, extreme weather and flooding, are presently inadequate, according to this new study published in advance of the upcoming IPCC Special Report on Cities. Authors systematically evaluated the strategies of 199 coastal cities worldwide, and found that current adaptation efforts in coastal cities are generally slow, narrow in scope, and not sufficiently transformative. Current adaptation measures are designed largely based on past and current experiences of hazards, exposure and vulnerability, rather than on future projections that take into account emissions pathways (and the near-term and long-term cryosphere response). Such measures therefore may not be sufficient to address the challenges cities will face in a warmer world — especially in light of fundamental state changes in the cryosphere, such as glacier and ice sheet loss. While an increasing range of adaptation planning in coastal cities is underway, a fundamental re-think of risk management is needed to adequately address future risks from climate change, especially without adequate course-correction on emissions reductions congruent with the lower Paris Agreement 1.5C temperature limit.

Full paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s44284-024-00106-9
Press release published by Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) of Munich:
https://www.lmu.de/en/newsroom/news-overview/news/coastal-cities-and-adaptation-to-climate-change-progress-and-failures.html