Wicked Challenges at Land's End: Managing Coastal Vulnerability Under Climate Change

Susanne C. Moser, S. Jeffress Williams, Donald F. Boesch
2012 Annual Review Environment and Resources  
With continuing influx of large numbers of people into coastal regions, human stresses on coastal ecosystems and resources are growing at the same time that climate variability and change and associated consequences in the marine environment are making coastal areas less secure for human habitation. The article reviews both climatic and nonclimatic drivers of the growing stresses on coastal natural and human systems, painting a picture of the mostly harmful impacts that result and the
more » ... e and systemic challenges coastal managers face in managing these growing risks. Although adaptive responses are beginning to emerge, the adaptation challenge is enormous and requires not just incremental but also transformative changes. At the same time, such "wicked" problems, by definition, defy all-encompassing, definitive, and final solutions; instead, temporary best solutions will have to be sought in the context of an iterative, deliberately learning-oriented risk management framework. 51 Annu. Rev. Environ. Resour. 2012.37:51-78. Downloaded from www.annualreviews.org Access provided by 207.241.232.189 on 05/07/20. For personal use only.
doi:10.1146/annurev-environ-021611-135158 fatcat:cgufgnkz6vhvthbqmatzfbotqi