A Just Transition to Climate-resilient Coastal Communities in Aotearoa New Zealand

Even if global emissions of greenhouse gases were to fall to zero immediately, still we would expect significant sea level rise over the next half century, along with increased frequency and intensity of inundation events and coastal erosion. While this fact has been widely appreciated by public servants and policymakers, the ethical implications and distributive consequences of our climate adaptation policy decisions have not. Decisions to allow new development in areas likely to become uninhabitable could transfer investment risks from property owners to the public, for example, while decisions to relocate existing at-risk communities could disempower already relatively disadvantaged groups. A just transition to climate-resilient coastal communities will require reduced policy uncertainty and enhanced democratic decision making.