Assessment of sea‐level rise adaptation options

Abstract. This paper provides a review of multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) applications to flood risk management, seeking to highlight trends and identify research gaps. A total of 128 peer-reviewed papers published from 1995 to June 2015 were systematically analysed. Results showed that the number of flood MCDM publications has exponentially grown during this period, with over 82 % of all papers published since 2009. A wide range of applications were identified, with most papers focusing on ranking alternatives for flood mitigation, followed by risk, hazard, and vulnerability assessment. The analytical hierarchy process (AHP) was the most popular method, followed by Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), and Simple Additive Weighting (SAW). Although there is greater interest in MCDM, uncertainty analysis remains an issue and was seldom applied in flood-related studies. In addition, participation of multiple stakeholders has been generally fragmented, focusing on particular stages of the decision-making process, especially on the definition of criteria weights. Therefore, addressing the uncertainties around stakeholders' judgments and endorsing an active participation in all steps of the decision-making process should be explored in future applications. This could help to increase the quality of decisions and the implementation of chosen measures.

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“…It does not consider the flood temporal probability or return period (i.e. when or how frequently floods may occur) (Santangelo et al, 2011).…”

Section: Classification Schemementioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-criteria decision-making for flood risk management: a survey of the current state of the art

Brito

Evers

2016

Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci.

285

102

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“…Primary data (from document reviews, interviews or focus groups) are required to identify the range of options. MCDA is useful when decisions involve uncertainty but need to be made quickly (Kiker et al 2005;Scheuer et al 2011;Porthin et al 2013;Sahin et al 2013;Munaretto et al 2014) Cost-benefit and costeffectiveness analysis…”

Section: Impactsresponsesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Communities and change in the anthropocene: understanding social-ecological vulnerability and planning adaptations to multiple interacting exposures

et al. 2015

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The majority of vulnerability and adaptation scholarship, policies and programs focus exclusively on climate change or global environmental change. Yet, individuals, communities and sectors experience a broad array of multi-scalar and multi-temporal, social, political, economic and environmental changes to which they are vulnerable and must adapt. While extensive theoreticaland increasingly empirical-work suggests the need to explore multiple exposures, a clear conceptual framework which would facilitate analysis of vulnerability and adaptation to multiple interacting socioeconomic and biophysical changes is lacking. This review and synthesis paper aims to fill this gap through presenting a conceptual framework for integrating multiple exposures into vulnerability analysis and adaptation planning. To support applications of the framework and facilitate assessments and comparative analyses of community vulnerability, we develop a comprehensive typology of drivers and exposures experienced by coastal communities. Our results reveal essential elements of a pragmatic approach for localscale vulnerability analysis and for planning appropriate adaptations within the context of multiple interacting exposures. We also identify methodologies for characterizing exposures and impacts, exploring interactions and identifying and prioritizing responses. This review focuses on coastal communities; however, we believe the framework, typology and approach will be useful for understanding vulnerability and planning adaptation to multiple exposures in various social-ecological contexts.

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“…According to Cole (2015), Ostrom (2005) and Pahl-Wostl (2008), the climate change governance regime should be polycentric and horizontal with broad stakeholder participation. In this model, multiple stakeholders and levels of government participate in defining options and priorities as well as in implementation and monitoring (Ostrom, 1996;Gupta, 2007;Di Gregorio et al, 2019;Sahin et al, 2013). Multi-level polycentric adaptation approaches enable local authorities and communities to proactively look for and implement climate action initiatives in accordance with national policy or in the absence of national policy (Reisinger et al, 2011;Corfee-Morlot et al, 2009).…”

Section: Principles For Assessing Effectiveness Of Adaptation Policiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why adaptation falters: principles for climate change adaptation policy assessment in Vietnam

Quang,

Kawarazuka,

Nguyen-Pham

et al. 2024

IJCCSM

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Purpose Recognition that not every climate adaptation policy is a good one has shifted attention to new tools and methods to measure the adequacy and effectiveness of adaptation policies. This study aims to propose and apply and applies an innovative adaptation policy assessment framework to identify the extent to which climate adaptation policies in Vietnam exhibit conditions that are likely to ensure a sufficient, credible and effective adaptation. Design/methodology/approach In total, 21 conditions, categorized under five normative principles and covering critical issue areas in adaptation domain, form the climate adaptation policy assessment framework. The principles were double-checked and tested in case studies through observations and analyses of policy documents to ensure that each condition should be distinct and not overlapping across principles. To see if the principles and attendant conditions were able to capture all relevant aspects of adaptation, the authors used structured expert judgment. In total, 39 policy documents pertaining to climate change adaptation were selected for qualitative document analysis. In-depth interviews with local officials and experts were conducted to address data gaps. Findings The study reveals major weaknesses constituting a reasonably worrisome picture of the adaptation policies in Vietnam since several critical conditions were underrepresented. These results shed new light on why some adaptation policies falter or are posing adverse impacts. The findings suggest that a sound policy assessment framework can provide evidence on what effective adaptation policy looks like and how it can be enabled. The framework for climate adaptation policy assessment in this study can be easily adjusted and used for different socio-environmental contexts in which new conditions for policy assessment might emerge. Social implications The findings show underlying weaknesses constituting a reasonably worrisome picture of the adaptation regime in Vietnam. In the absence of mechanisms and measures for accountability and transparency in policy processes, adaptation in Vietnam appears more likely to be prone to maladaptation and corruption. While solving these problems will not be easy for Vietnam, the government needs to evaluate whether the short-term gains in sustaining the existing adaptation policies really make progress and serve its long-term climate-adaptive development goals. Originality/value Although interpretations of adaptation effectiveness may be very divergent in different normative views on adaptation outcomes, the authors argue that a common, agreed-upon effectiveness can be reached if it is clearly defined and measurable in adaptation policies. Thus, the climate adaptation policy assessment framework proposed in this study is critical for policymakers, practitioners, donors and stakeholders dealing with adaptation to better understand the weaknesses in policymaking processes, pinpoint priority areas of action and timely prevent or prepare for possible adverse impacts of policies.

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Assessment of sea‐level rise adaptation options

Cited by 23 publications

References 20 publications

Multi-criteria decision-making for flood risk management: a survey of the current state of the art

Multi-criteria decision-making for flood risk management: a survey of the current state of the art

Communities and change in the anthropocene: understanding social-ecological vulnerability and planning adaptations to multiple interacting exposures

Why adaptation falters: principles for climate change adaptation policy assessment in Vietnam

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