1. Territorial inertia versus adaptation to climate change. When local authorities discuss coastal management in a French Mediterranean region.
- Author
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Robert, Samuel, Quercy, Axel, and Schleyer-Lindenmann, Alexandra
- Subjects
COASTAL zone management ,CLIMATE change ,CLIMATE change mitigation ,CITIES & towns ,ABSOLUTE sea level change ,PHYSIOLOGICAL adaptation ,COLLECTIVE representation ,BEACH erosion ,COASTAL changes - Abstract
• Local authorities are key in coastal territories' adaptation to climate change. • Interviews cover 29 French Mediterranean municipalities. • Beaches and residential economy ground the social representation of the territory. • Coastal risks are given little consideration, except for beach erosion. • Territorial inertia, i.e. keeping the same territorial trajectory, impedes adaptation. Adaptation to climate change is a critical issue in coastal areas, at risk from sea-level rise, erosion, and sea flooding. In territories strongly urbanized and long oriented toward tourism and a residential economy, a change in coastal management and territorial development is hard to initiate. In Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (France), a leading tourism region, this article explores how local authorities perceive climate change and talk about adaptation strategies. Interviews with municipal-level authorities, both elected officials and technical agents, reveal the influence of territorial inertia, with persistent statements promoting the beach- and residential-oriented economy and a wait-and-see attitude regarding climate change. Beach erosion is the only coastal risk interviewees really recognize, while sea-level rise and sea flooding are barely perceived. Yet evidence supporting the possibility of a future change in position is provided by the younger generation of interviewees, who are more aware of environmental challenges. Providing original data for a coastal region often considered as a model of development throughout the world, this article also proposes an original and transferable method combining geographical sampling of municipalities, text statistics and qualitative analysis of interviews, to apprehend the social representations of the coast, of climate change and coastal risks. Such a methodology is recommended prior to any quantitative assessment of climate action at local scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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