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Coastal Zone Policy
State of Coasts in the context of the global climate change
The challenge of climate change to the European coastal areas
In Europe, multiple pressures - including habitat loss and degradation, pollution, overexploitation of fish stocks and climate change- affect the coastal ecosystems.
The effects of climate change could be devastating to vulnerable coastal and marine areas as well as to the function and structure of their ecosystems. Increasing sea level (1,7 mm/year) changes the shape of coastlines, contributes to coastal erosion and leads to flooding and more underground salt-water intrusion.
Climate change also causes changes in European seas surface temperature, which has been up to six times greater than in the global oceans in the past 25 years. One of the most visible impacts of the rising sea temperature is the reduced area of sea ice coverage in the Arctic polar. The ice cover in 2007 was only half the size of the minimum ice cover in the 1950s. The diminishing Arctic ice is already impacting indigenous people and the habitats in the region, but according to pessimistic estimates in a few centuries it may constitute threat to major coastal cities in Europe, including London and Amsterdam.
Increasing sea-level affects a significant number of Europeans. One third of the EU population lives within 50 km of the coast. The GDP generated by this population amounts over 30% of the total EU GPD. The coastal areas are important sources of GDP per se. The economic value of coastal areas within 500 metre from the European seas totals between €500-1,000 billion. The costs of doing nothing against the effects of climate change in coastal areas are estimated to be higher than the annual costs of taking actions, which is estimated at around €6 billion by 2020. On the other hand, the net-benefits of adaptation are put at up to €4.2 billion.
The role of ICZM in addressing the challenge of Climate Change
The challenge of climate change needs to be addressed inter alia through integrated and ecosystem-based approaches and instruments, such as integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) or green infrastructure. These are crucial to build the foundations for sustainable coastal management and development, supporting socio-economic development, biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Integrated Coastal Zone Management is an acknowledged tool to deal with current and long-term coastal challenges, including climate change and its impacts (for instance sea-level rise, changes in storm frequency, strength and patterns and increased coastal erosion and flooding). In 2002, the EU’s ICZM Recommendation referred to the threat to coastal zones posed by climate change as the basis for a strategic approach on ICZM.
The challenges posed by climate change to coastal areas have been also addressed by national ICZM Strategies, which have implemented different principles and tools to respond to these challenges: long-term perspective and precautionary principle, adaptive management, accounting for diversity of local conditions, working with natural processes and coherence between planning and management.
Information on relevant ICZM projects is available on OURCOAST.
The role of research and EU funded projects in addressing the negative impacts of climate change on coastal areas
In order for policy makers to take appropriate actions, it is important to better understand the effects of climate change on coastal communities and resources, thus carrying out research, collecting data and monitoring the state of European coasts are essential.
In the EU, the state of the coasts is regularly assessed by the European Environmental Agency and the European Commission.
Links to reports and studies prepared by the European Environmental Agency and the European Commission:
- EEA Briefing 3/2006: The continuous degradation of Europe's coasts threatens European living
- EEA (2006): The Changing faces of Europe's coastal
- EEA (2008) Impacts of Europe's changing climate - 2008 indicator-based assessment
- EEA (2010): 10 messages for 2010 - Coastal ecosystems
- EEA (2010): The European Environment. State and Outlook 2010 Land use
- European Commission (2009): The economics of climate change adaptation in EU Coastal areasCommission staff working document accompanying the White paper - Adapting to climate change : towards a European framework for action Climate Change and Water, Coasts and Marine Issues
Statistical information on coastal areas is gathered by EUROSTAT.
Links to statistics prepared by EUROSTAT:
- Key figures for coastal regions and sea areas, Statistics in focus 47/2009, June 2009
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Portrait of coastal regions, Statistics in focus, 38/2010, August 2010
The European Union provides financial assistance to research and projects which touch upon the effects of climate change on coastal areas (e.g. coastal erosion) and which aim to address the challenges of climate change on coastal and marine areas (e.g. adaptation, blue and green infrastructure):
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Coastal erosion: Coastal erosion is the gradual destruction of land by sea. One fifth of the EU’s coastline is already severely affected, with coastlines retreating by between 0.5 and 2 metres per year, and in a few dramatic cases even by 15 metres. Coastal erosion has dramatic effects upon the environment (e.g. threatens habitats and wildlife) and on human activity (e.g. negatively effects tourism). More information on coastal zone erosion is available here.
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Adaptation: Climate change adaptation is a tool to avoid the negative impacts of climate change on marine areas and coastal zones. The EU provides funding for climate change adaptation measures under the Structural and Cohesion Funds and the EU Research Framework Programmes.
Examples of EU funded projects focusing on climate change adaptation in coastal areas
Technical Information IMCORE Project- Innovative Management for Europe’s Changing Coastal Resource Objective(s):
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Website and sources of information: BALTCICA- Climate Change: Impacts, Costs and Adaptation in the Baltic Sea Region Objective(s):
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Link to other projects:
- ANCORIM
- COASTANCE
- CoastAdapt
- Hav Möter Land
- Coastal Communities CC2150 in IVA 2 seas programme
- RESMAR- IVA Italy-France programme
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Blue and green infrastructure: "Green Infrastructure" plays a major role in mitigating and adapting to climate change. It contributes to strengthening ecosystem services and supports the central role that biodiversity plays in reducing the impact of, and adapting to, climate change. Connecting areas in water and marine regions is one aspect of the concept of green infrastructure.
Example of an EU funded project focusing on blue and green infrastructure
Technical Information GRABS Project- Green and Blue Space Adaptation for Urban Areas and Eco Towns Objective(s):
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ECOSHAPE- Building with nature Objective(s):
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