More severe storms and rising seas will inexorably push the American coastline inland with profound impact on communities, infrastructure, and natural systems. In A New Coast, Jeffrey Peterson draws a comprehensive picture of how storms and rising seas will change the coast. Peterson offers a clear-eyed assessment of how governments can work with the private sector and citizens to be better prepared for the coming coastal inundation.
Drawing on four decades of experience at the Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Senate, Peterson presents the science behind predictions for coastal impacts. He explains how current policies fall short of what is needed to effectively prepare for these changes and how the Trump Administration has significantly weakened these efforts. While describing how and why the current policies exist, he builds a strong case for a bold, new approach, tackling difficult topics including: how to revise flood insurance and disaster assistance programs; when to step back from the coast rather than build protection structures; how to steer new development away from at-risk areas; and how to finance the transition to a new coast. Key challenges, including how to protect critical infrastructure, ecosystems, and disadvantaged populations, are examined. Ultimately, Peterson offers hope in the form of a framework of new national policies and programs to support local and state governments. He calls for engagement from the private sector and local and national leaders in a “campaign for a new coast.a
A New Coast is a compelling assessment of the dramatic changes that are coming to America's coast. Peterson offers insights and strategies for policymakers, planners, and business leaders preparing for the intensifying impacts of climate change along the coast.
Preface Introduction
Part I: A Warming Climate Drives Coastal Storms and Rising Seas Chapter 1. Coastal Storms, Coastal Nightmare Chapter 2. Sea Level Rise Projections: Trending Upward Chapter 3. Measuring the Shifting Coast
Part II: Storms and Rising Seas Disrupt the American Coast Chapter 4. Scale and Economic Cost of the Coming Inundation Chapter 5. Coastal Storm and Sea Level Rise Risks to Critical Infrastructure Chapter 6. Coastal Ecosystems Facing Inundation: Wetlands and Beaches Chapter 7. Private Sector Losses as Seas Rise: Tourism, Fishing, and Energy
Part III: A Nation Unprepared for Coastal Storms and Rising Seas Chapter 8. The Politics of Coastal Storms and Rising Seas Chapter 9. National Flood Insurance Program: Coastal Misdirection Chapter 10. Coastal Disaster Planning: Preparing for the Wrong Hazard Chapter 11. Coastal Management Problems: Overcommitted and Underfunded Chapter 12. National Planning for Climate Change: An Answer to Coastal Inundation?
Part IV: States, Communities, and Businesses Cope with Coastal Storms and Rising Seas Chapter 13. Novel Challenges of Storms and Rising Seas Chapter 14. State and Community Choices in Preparing for a Changing Coast Chapter 15. Relocation: Often the Inevitable Choice Chapter 16. Social and Psychological Dimensions of Storms and Rising Seas Chapter 17. Business Community Response to Storms and Rising Seas
Part V: Campaign for a New Coast Chapter 18. Framework for a National Storm and Sea Level Rise Program Chapter 19. Funding Coastal Storm and Sea Level Rise Preparedness Chapter 20. Campaign for a New Coast
Conclusion Acknowledgements Appendices Endnotes
"This important and comprehensive book is a must-read for coastal policymakers who are grappling with impacts from rising seas and more intense storms. It captures not only the challenges communities are facing due to climate change, but also useful examples and policy recommendations for advancing adaptation efforts at all levels of government."
