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Project

Evaluating local Social CApital effects on poLicy Adaptation to climaTe change in coastal zonEs (ESCALATE)

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Description:

ESCALATE is a research project funded by the European Commission (Marie Curie Actions, Intra-European Fellowship). The aim of ESCALATE is to explore public perceptions of coastal management scenarios seeking to mitigate climate change impacts, through the lens of social capital theory. Specifically, the project will examine: 1.local public perceptions of the likely (non-economic) social costs and benefits arising from implementing different mitigation strategies on everyday community activities, and: 2.how social capital can be optimised in current policymaking frameworks to assist implementation of mitigation strategies at the coast. Quantitative (distribution of structured questionnaires) and qualitative (e.g. personal semi-structured interviews) social research methods will be used in order to examine local social capital effects on mitigation strategies for climate change and coastal erosion. The project has three objectives: To assess the social costs and benefits of proposed coastal management strategies to mitigate climate change effects in two study areas in the UK. To analyze the influence of local social capital in the two study areas on individual and community perceptions of these mitigation strategies, and to assess how local social capital can be optimized in current policymaking frameworks that shape mitigation and adaptation strategies at the coast. Two case studies have been selected in the UK in order to investigate the objectives of the project: Sheringham to Great Yarmouth in Norfolk; and Folkestone to Rye in East Sussex and Kent. In common with other European states, the UK now pursues three coastal management strategies: a. ‘hold the line’ (i.e. maintain or improve current defences), b. managed realignment (retreat with management to control or limit encroachment), and c. no active intervention. These options are now being examined for 22 different zones around the English coast through the ‘second generation’ of Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs), which are being developed in collaboration with local authorities. Implicitly, ‘making space for water’ will become reality in some places, resulting in significant impacts for affected local communities. The selection of the two case studies was based on the following criteria: a. severity of projected climate change impact in the coastal zone; b. presence of areas of high biodiversity value; c. significant projected social impacts as a result of climate change; and d. development of local social movements focused on coastal management and the proposed SMPs.

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University of Birmingham

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Published in Climate-ADAPT Jun 07 2016   -   Last Modified in Climate-ADAPT Dec 12 2023

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