Incorporating equity into sea-level rise planning: Perspectives from practitioners across California
Graduation Date
Spring 2024
Document Type
Thesis
Program
Master of Science degree with a major in Natural Resources: option Environmental Science and Management
Committee Chair Name
Dr. Laurie Richmond
Committee Chair Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Second Committee Member Name
Dr. Daniel Lipe
Second Committee Member Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Third Committee Member Name
Jennifer Marlow J.D.
Third Committee Member Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Keywords
Equitable coastal management, Sea level rise, California coastal management, Equity
Subject Categories
Environmental Science and Management
Abstract
Scholars along with national and state governments have increasingly made calls to incorporate an equity lens into climate adaptation processes and into sea-level rise planning specifically. However, the language used in these high-level policies remains vague. There remains a need to learn from practitioners on the ground about the challenges and opportunities for effectively incorporating an equity lens into sea-level rise adaptation and planning efforts. I conducted interviews with 17 individuals who are working within their agencies or organizations to advance equity across the California coast along with a review of 17 California coastal policy documents to gain insights into experiences and best practices for incorporating equity into sea-level rise planning. Practitioners identified several best practices including meaningful, consistent, and funded collaboration with communities; centering people – rather than assets or infrastructure – in SLR vulnerability assessments; and making strategic investments to build community capacity to engage in planning processes. They also highlighted several barriers to advancing equity including the absence of diversity in coastal professions and the lack of funding, training, and community capacity to support effective community engagement. I distilled the findings from this work into an accessible equity guide that coastal professionals can use to forward equity within their coastal planning efforts.
Citation Style
APA
Recommended Citation
Herrera, Nayré, "Incorporating equity into sea-level rise planning: Perspectives from practitioners across California" (2024). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 740.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/740