Science
12 September 2014 vol 345, issue 6202, pages 1209-1416
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl

Policy Forum
Disaster Management
A global strategy for protecting vulnerable coastal populations
Edward B. Barbier
Author Affiliations
Department of Economics and Finance, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA.

The 2014 Working Group II report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns that lowlying coastal areas are increasingly exposed to risks from sea-level rise, flooding, and extreme storm events (1). Low-lying coasts of developing countries in particular face two types of vulnerability: (i) a lack of capacity to respond quickly and effectively to natural disasters and (ii) declining protection for people and property as coastal habitats disappear. A science-based global strategy for protecting coastal populations should address both sources of vulnerability, through investments in short-run emergency response and long-term coastal adaptation.