RICRI Research Seminar: Assessing the Impacts of Climate Change on the Coast at European and Global Scale

Climate change is intensifying natural hazards along global coastlines, with rising seas and extreme weather increasing flooding and erosion beyond existing protections. Following a brief introduction, this presentation will explore key processes and challenges for preparing against these threats. The discussion centres on LISCOAST (Large-scale Integrated Sea-level and Coastal Assessment Tool), the European Commission’s framework for coastal flood risk and adaptation. Combining multidisciplinary models and data, LISCOAST addresses the full risk spectrum, from hazard, exposure, and vulnerability to impacts, mitigation, and adaptation across European and global coastlines. Applications reveal that rising seas will increase coastal risks by at least an order of magnitude. However, strong economic incentives exist for adaptation in developed areas, while reducing emissions could cut projected impacts by up to 50%.