Sea Level Rise Adaptation

Many people living in low-lying communities do have diverse options when it comes to protecting their properties from a rising sea level (Cross, 2013). A common option is building barrier islands in inter-tidal zones to reduce potential impact of winds and waves (ibid). Residents of communities like Delta could also build higher dikes or implement unique architectural solutions, like building homes on stilts or even moving entire communities (ibid). The British Columbia government also warned builders and developers to plan for a one- meter rise in the sea level within the next 90 years (ibid). People are told to plan ahead of time when building homes, therefore their homes would not be destroyed as much as the ones built earlier before knowing …show more content…
In the report, Sea Level Rise Adaptation Primer, commissioned by the British Columbia Ministry of the Environment, there are four different adaptation strategies for decision making and 21 adaptation tools, include aspects such as planning and regulating (“Sea Level Rise Adaptation”, 2013). These four adaptation strategies are: protect, accommodate, retreat, and avoid.

These strategies work on protecting people, property, and infrastructure (ibid). As well as being able to continue occupation of coastal areas while changes are made to numerous activities and infrastructure to adapt to sea level rise (ibid). These adaptation strategies are the first step in assessing climate change and the risk that sea level rise has on Vancouver. The government has acknowledged the risks involved and sees the detriment behind sea level rise (ibid). It is important because if the community is not made aware, risks of climate change and sea level rise can cause worse scenarios (ibid). These are proactive strategies that can potentially deter severe damage done to the community while increasing public awareness on the issues (ibid). Although these strategies cannot stop climate change or sea level rise, they are proactive in decreasing risks …show more content…
Climate change and sea level rise are complex issues that involve a level of uncertainty that requires many different perspectives and solutions. By looking at the sea level rise risks through sociological, socioeconomic, and economic perspectives, the impacts on the Vancouver community will be detrimental. Tourism, the rich, the impoverished, and public services are only a few of the areas that will be affected. Furthermore, Sea level rise and climate change will have impacts on human health, through changes in the outdoor and indoor environment. In conclusion, in the next 35 years, sea levels are expected to continue to rise and affect urbanization and sea level rise has the ability to change the urban setting of Vancouver and introduce a whole new set of issues that Vancouver has possibly few precautionary measures to contend