Collaborative Climate Change Adaptation: A Case Study of Army Corps Coastal Protection Projects

Abstract

As the climate warms, governments in the U.S. are attempting to
increase the resilience of populations and physical environments to the
impacts of higher temperatures. This article analyzes the efforts of the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers to design and build coastal protection
infrastructure, such as seawalls, storm surge barriers, and nature-based
approaches, as an example of intergovernmental collaboration to adapt
to climate change. The Army Corps’ unique model of project development
requires it to study and construct projects with a non-federal sponsor that
is typically a state or local government. The article makes three main
points about the Army Corps’ nascent efforts to address increased risks of
coastal flooding. First, it emphasizes that major urban areas along the
eastern and southern seaboards, such as Boston, Miami-Dade, and New
York City, are seeking to use the Army Corps to build coastal protection
infrastructure to mitigate flood risks that are increasing with climate
change. Second, the article characterizes the Corps’ coastal protection
projects as a decentralized form of inter-jurisdictional collaboration to
adapt to climate change. Third, the article argues that the decentralized
development of coastal protection on a project-by-project basis should be
complemented by periodic regional- or national-level analyses of coastal
flood risks. Looking closely at actual efforts to adapt highlights the
importance of considering whether adaptation should be undertaken in a
more decentralized or centralized manner as the need to adapt to warming
temperatures increases.