Why justice principles matter in long-term coastal adaptation planning for at risk communities

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Cotton, Isabel, Forster, Johanna, Lorenzoni, Irene and Tolhurst, Trevor (2026) Why justice principles matter in long-term coastal adaptation planning for at risk communities. Regional Environmental Change, 26 (1). ISSN 1436-3798

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Abstract

Flood and coastal risk management policy in England increasingly promotes coastal adaptation plans that are co-developed by local communities. Using the village of Happisburgh as a case study, this paper adopts an environmental justice lens to explore local resident and policymaker perspectives of managed realignment that may have a bearing on the implementation of community adaptation plans. Perspectives are elicited through a household survey and semi-structured interviews with Happisburgh residents, alongside neighbouring Bacton and Walcott residents. Presented alongside maps of recent geomorphological change, thematic analysis of survey and interview data reveals managed realignment is disputed by local residents where it threatens the integrity and identity of Happisburgh, and if unaccompanied with sufficient practical and financial support. Impacts on community wellbeing, differences of opinion on the practicalities of rollback, and distrust in past community consultations present significant obstacles to community engagement in adaptation at Happisburgh. The insights on financial, practical and wellbeing dimensions to coastal change provide learning on how at-risk coastal communities can be supported in adapting to erosion, but also in a manner that is perceived as just by the communities themselves. Overall, this paper demonstrates that incorporating justice principles into coastal adaptation planning is fundamental for successful community engagement, both to overcome historic environmental justice issues and to facilitate community willingness to adapt to future coastal and climate change.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: adaptation,coastal change,environmental justice,managed realignment,procedural justice,global and planetary change,sdg 13 - climate action ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2300/2306
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Science > School of Environmental Sciences
Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Global Development (formerly School of International Development)
UEA Research Groups: University of East Anglia Schools > Faculty of Science > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research
Faculty of Science > Research Centres > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research
Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Marine Knowledge Exchange Network
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Depositing User: LivePure Connector
Date Deposited: 19 Feb 2026 14:30
Last Modified: 22 Feb 2026 07:30
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/101987
DOI: 10.1007/s10113-025-02519-1

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