Preserving Assets in At-Risk Municipalities - Financial Strategies for Climate Change Adaptation

A large share of population location, businesses and economic activity now occurs in coastal areas. At the same time, during this century many coastal communities are likely to be severely impacted by sea level rise and increased storm surge and tidal flooding.
“What to do” about this vulnerability is the subject of this brief. It is intended to help municipalities identify courses of action and steps they might take toward increasing their resilience, especially regarding financial resources that will need to be allocated toward the various strategies identified. Financial tools are briefly summarized, for example General Taxes and Fees, General Revenue Bonding and Sink Funds.