SINGAPORE SUSTAINABLE BUILT ENVIRONMENT CONFERENCE (SBE16)
5 – 6 Sep 2016 | Singapore
BCA Academy, 200 Braddell Road, Singapore 579700 (Show Map)
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HOME » PROGRAMME » Synopsis | Track 2: Coastal Protection
TRACK 2: COASTAL PROTECTION
The consequences of climate change are more visible on the coast than anywhere else. More frequent storm activity and hurricanes are all phenomenon of climate change. According to the European Commission, “the challenge of climate change needs to be addressed through integrated coastal protection and management, which is an acknowledged tool to deal with current and long-term coastal challenges, including climate change and its impacts. It is crucial to build the foundations for sustainable coastal management and development, supporting socio-economic development, biodiversity and ecosystem services.” (2015) Meanwhile, the climatic impacts on coasts in Southeast Asian countries are a threat to their homeland security, even their existence. Sea level rise caused by changing climate and global warming may seriously influence the future and developments of these coastal countries.
Coastal protection remains a challenge to many coastal cities. As many of such cities are generally low-lying and flat, they are vulnerable to extreme storm events. Despite this risk, coastal cities remain vibrant locations housing key economic activities and tend to be densely developed. Many problems are thus raised with respect to risk management policies, adaption strategies and mitigation measures. For instance, is it possible to mitigate impacts of climate change by reviewing how coastal areas are planned and developed? This still generates extensive thought-provoking discussions throughout ASEAN and the international community. In particular, protecting the changing coastal environment as well as developing the appropriate coastal protection strategies will remain as issues of interest.
At the same time, human activities on the coast and offshore areas are also possible threats for the stability of the coast and the shoreline. Construction, commercial, recreational and industrial activities within close proximity to the coast may have detrimental and unintended effects on the stability of the shoreline. How then do we strike a balance between carrying out coastal development and ensuring that the coastal environment is not adversely affected?
Climate science is still evolving, as with projections of the rise in global mean temperature and global mean sea level. Behind this backdrop of uncertainty, governments around the world are grappling with the hard choice of providing the appropriate coastal protection measures that will be adequate. In view of vast uncertainties in the long term sea level rise, how should coastal protection infrastructure and measures be implemented? What would be the most effective way of ensuring flood resilience in our coastal assets for the long term? How can our future coastal protection needs be safeguarded?
Papers dealing with relevant research and application on coastal protection including but not limited to:
- Urban planning in the coastal areas;
- Community Resilience;
- Major Coastal Protection Infrastructure or measures;
- Sustainable coastal development
Reference:
European Commission. 2015. “State of Coasts in the Context of the Global Climate Change.” November 19, 2015. Accessed January 19, 2016. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/iczm/state_coast.htm.