Start Date
4-12-2018 4:00 PM
End Date
4-12-2018 5:00 PM
Access Type
Open Access
Abstract
Inundation, erosion, and property damages and losses are being observed at increasing rates in coastal areas. It is now well-recognized that rising sea levels, increases in storm intensities, and inadequate structural protections are contributing to the significant physical destruction of and economic losses to coastal properties. Scientists, coastal zone managers, and the general public have begun to call for implementing policies of resilience and adaptation to these losses, including retreating from the coast, yet humans continue to live—and even increase their presence—along the nation’s shorelines. What causes such persistence? It has become commonplace to identify lower-than-actuarially-fair premiums for participation in the National Flood Insurance Program as the main culprit in incentivizing coastal persistence. Flood insurance premiums may be only part of a much more complex array of incentives, however. We have taken some initial steps at identifying and scaling other programs and community interactions that appear to enable coastal persistence. We review these incentives, relying upon some illustrations from experiences in Massachusetts. Gaining a better understanding of the full array of incentives for coastal persistence—and their complex interactions—could help to enable the design of policies for lessening coastal destruction and loss.
Biography
Porter Hoagland has a B.S. in Biology from Hobart College, an M.M.P. in Marine Policy from University of Delaware, an M.P.A from Harvard University in Public Administration, and a Ph.D. in Marine Policy from University of Delaware. Dr. Hoagland is a research specialist at WHOI's Marine Policy Center, where he has been analyzing economic and policy questions associated with the human use of the oceans for over 20 years. He has worked in a number of areas, including fisheries management, aquaculture in the oceans, the impacts of red tides, and the management of underwater cultural resources. As a recreational sailor, he has a special interest in relying upon ocean wind as a source of energy.
Additional Links
ORCID
0000-0003-0744-4184
Incentives for Coastal Persistence
Inundation, erosion, and property damages and losses are being observed at increasing rates in coastal areas. It is now well-recognized that rising sea levels, increases in storm intensities, and inadequate structural protections are contributing to the significant physical destruction of and economic losses to coastal properties. Scientists, coastal zone managers, and the general public have begun to call for implementing policies of resilience and adaptation to these losses, including retreating from the coast, yet humans continue to live—and even increase their presence—along the nation’s shorelines. What causes such persistence? It has become commonplace to identify lower-than-actuarially-fair premiums for participation in the National Flood Insurance Program as the main culprit in incentivizing coastal persistence. Flood insurance premiums may be only part of a much more complex array of incentives, however. We have taken some initial steps at identifying and scaling other programs and community interactions that appear to enable coastal persistence. We review these incentives, relying upon some illustrations from experiences in Massachusetts. Gaining a better understanding of the full array of incentives for coastal persistence—and their complex interactions—could help to enable the design of policies for lessening coastal destruction and loss.