Abstract

Human activities have been identified as the main cause of climate change which is already posing serious threats to coastal communities, creating the need for effective local, national, and global action plans. Increasing incidents of flooding and inundation in areas as disparate as the Pacific islands and Miami, Florida, are being reported, and these communities must take rapid action to prevent the loss of land to the sea. Even in the relatively short time between its two Assessment Reports in 2007 and 2013, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) significantly increased its global sea-level rise (SLR) projections for the year 2100, from 0.59 meters in the 2007 report to 0.98 meters in the 2013 version. In the development of adaptation strategies, SLR and its impacts can be considered as negative risks to the environment and to local communities. In this paper we propose that the well-established Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) risk response standard be applied to SLR risk response planning. By breaking down the risk response planning process into three key steps (inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs), the PMBOK standard can provide a logical, comprehensive, and systematic approach to SLR risk management.