Ireland’s coastline is acutely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Increased storm activity, coupled with sea level rise, continues to compound and exacerbate coastal erosion, increasing the risk of flooding. Coastal sand dunes can provide natural protection against storm activity and wave action, buffering against further erosion and flooding inland. However, exposure to escalating climate impacts and increased human activity have contributed to the degradation of coastal sand dunes across Ireland, rendering many dune systems extremely vulnerable, further exposing the coastline. Local communities bear the brunt of such impacts and are integral stakeholders in planning for and responding to such critical challenges pertaining to climate change. Recognising the risks facing coastal environments, settlements, and livelihoods, many coastal communities across Ireland are organising, raising awareness, and driving action to protect and restore their local sand dunes and coastlines. However, a lack of support, information, and fundraising constraints present barriers to action. Insisting upon locally attuned climate action and adaptation raises questions of power, politics, participation and scale, and about the nature of human-environmental relations in an era of planning for climate change. To address such questions requires further exploration of the challenges faced by those situated at the interface between accelerating climate impacts and climate action across scales. Based on findings from a period of participatory action research conducted during a phase of local adaptation planning in response to coastal sand dune erosion, this paper will critically analyse the efficacy of participatory approaches in integrating local knowledge into adaptation plans. Though local in nature, this case study engages stakeholders operating across sites and scales, thus providing an exemplar of the scalar challenge of climate adaptation planning in Ireland and elsewhere.

McGandy, Maeve (PhD Candidate in Geography)
University of Galway

 
ID Abstract: 611