CALIFORNIA COASTAL COMMISSION SEA LEVEL RISE POLICY GUIDANCE: Interpretive Guidelines for Addressing Sea Level Rise in Local Coastal Programs and Coastal Development Permits
Publication Date
2024
Publisher
CALIFORNIA COASTAL COMMISSION
Abstract
imate change is upon us, affecting almost every facet of California’s natural, social, and built environment. Rising global temperatures are causing significant effects at global, regional, and local scales. In the past century, average global temperature has increased by about 0.8°C (1.4°F), and average global sea level has increased by nearly 8 inches (20 cm; Fox-Kemper et al., 2021). According to the most recent best available science, by the year 2100, sea levels in California may rise by 1 to 6.6 feet (0.3 to 2.0 meters) depending on emissions levels (OPC 2024). While the California coast regularly experiences erosion, flooding, and significant storm events, sea level rise will exacerbate these natural forces, leading to significant social, environmental, and economic impacts. Importantly, sea level rise will exacerbate burdens already felt among environmental justice and tribal communities who experience a higher vulnerability to climate change. In California, generations of discriminatory land use policies and practices have resulted in an inequitable distribution of environmental burdens, including a lack of investments in creating or maintaining natural resource benefits within these communities. Meaningful engagement0F0F 1 and equitable planning that centers environmental justice and tribal communities are important for addressing these specific burdens while seeking to holistically address sea level rise risks and vulnerabilities across the state. The evidence of the value of proactive planning to prepare for sea level rise is compelling. The Third National Climate Assessment notes that there is strong evidence showing that the cost of doing nothing to prepare for the impacts of sea level rise exceeds the costs associated with adapting to them by about 4 to 10 times (Moser et al., 2014). Similarly, several studies show that the cumulative costs of keeping infrastructure safely in place within areas vulnerable to sea level rise could eventually outweigh the costs of relocation (Cutler et al., 2020; Turner et al., 2007; King et al. 2011). Therefore, it is critically important that California proactively plan and prepare for the impacts of sea level rise to ensure a resilient California coast for present and future generations. The California Coastal Act is one of the state’s primary coastal management laws for addressing land use, public access and recreation, and the protection of coast and ocean resources in the coastal zone. It is also the primary coastal hazards law governing development along the coast. Using the Coastal Act, the Coastal Commission and local governments have nearly five decades of experience managing coastal development, including addressing the challenges presented by coastal hazards like storms, flooding, and erosion as well as responses to these hazards such as armoring. However, sea level rise and the changing climate present management challenges of a new magnitude, with the potential to significantly threaten many coastal resources, including shoreline development, coastal beach access and recreation, habitats, agricultural lands, cultural resources, and scenic resources, all of which are subject to specific protections and regulations in the Coastal Act. Therefore, effective implementation of the Coastal Act and the protection of California’s coast must address global sea level rise and the greater management challenges it will bring. In recognition of this fact, the California Legislature added Section 30270 to the Coastal Act in 2021, which requires the Commission to take the effects of sea level rise into account in its policies and activities.1F1F 2 This document focuses specifically on how to apply the Coastal Act to the challenges presented by sea level rise through Local Coastal Program (LCP) certifications and updates and Coastal Development Permit (CDP) decisions. It organizes current science, technical, and other information and practices into a single resource to facilitate implementation of the Coastal Act by coastal managers at the state and local level. This Guidance also includes environmental justice perspectives that build upon the Commission’s existing Environmental Justice Policy, and provides information on how to address impacts to, benefits for, and engagement with environmental justice communities2F2F 3 when planning and analyzing for sea level rise. Additionally, this document provides guidance on how local governments can comply with their obligations under SB 272 (Laird, 2023)3F3F 4, 4F4F 5 , which requires local governments in the Coastal Zone to submit an LCP, or amendment to their existing LCP, that contains a sea level rise plan. However, while the document is intended to guide LCP planning and development decisions to ensure effective coastal management actions, it is advisory and does not alter or supersede existing legal requirements, such as the policies of SB 272, the Coastal Act, and certified LCPs. One of the Commission’s priority goals continues to be coordinating with local governments to complete and update LCPs in a manner that adequately addresses sea level rise within the context of local conditions and reflects the recommendations in this Guidance. This Guidance document is also part of a larger statewide strategy to respond to climate change that includes both emissions reductions and adaptation planning to address the impacts of a changing climate. Recent efforts include the California Climate Adaptation Strategy (2021) (an update to the 2014 Safeguarding California plan and the 2009 California Climate Adaptation Strategy), the California Air Resources Board’s Scoping Plan for Achieving Carbon Neutrality.