20. Managing Coastal Resources in an Era of Climate Change

Environmental Politics and Law (EVST 255)

The lecture reviews the legal and economic strategies that can be used to manage coastal development. Over half of the United States population lives in coastal areas and will be affected by sea level rise and more intense storms. The lecture looks at the conflict between property rights and efforts to protect coastal ecosystems through the use of eminent domain to create national seashores. Barrier islands such as Fire Island National Seashore and Cape Cod National Seashore are used as case studies; a variety of strategies have been employed to manage these constantly moving islands. The lecture also discusses the role insurance plays in coastal settlement patterns; changes in insurers' policies in high-risk coastal areas could change the way people settle in coastal regions.

00:00 - Chapter 1. Growth of Coastal Zone Population; Management Strategies
13:26 - Chapter 2. Thinking About Vulnerabilities with Principles of Ecology
19:53 - Chapter 3. The Cape Cod Case: Private Property and Eminent Domain
32:47 - Chapter 4. The Fire Island Case: Carrot and Stick Approach
38:47 - Chapter 5. Additional Pre- and Post-storm Examples; Best Practices

Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: http://open.yale.edu/courses

This course was recorded in Spring 2010.