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Paper short abstract:

Climate change poses high challenges to overpopulated coastal areas. This presentation discusses the results of Change, a three-year research project that analysed social responses to increased coastal risks in Portugal.

Paper long abstract:

Highly populated coastal areas are increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, one of the main concerns revealed by the most recent IPCC report. In face of sea level rise and more frequent coastal storms, they will have to adopt innovative adaptation strategies. In Portugal, economic austerity has been constraining funds for coastal defence. Therefore coastal management will have to confront a geomorphological and social process of creative adaptive governance if future economies and societies are to remain viable and resilient.

Social scientists will be heavily involved in this challenging prospect. This was the experience of a three-year research - CHANGE - Changing Coasts, Changing Climate, Changing Communities. The project used future scenarios on the impacts of coastal storms (up to 2050) to promote a meaningful dialogue between a range of interested parties and coastal managers in three of the most vulnerable coastal areas across the country, Costa de Caparica, Quarteira and Vagueira.

The research - which included in-depth interviews, collection of historical data (evolution of the coast and social response to disasters), and detailed surveys - identified a high awareness of coastal risks and climate change. However, it also uncovered a dominant feeling of hopelessness towards future solutions for coastal protection and funding.

These critical gaps in prognoses, action and communication have been analysed in a set of interactive workshops. This presentation will sum up the results of the CHANGE process, bridging lessons from the aiming to offer an effective contribution towards new models of adaptive coastal governance.