GPSS Doctoral Student Publish a Study on Coastal Defense Strategies for Climate Change

A study led by Professor Alexandros Gasparatos and Ms. Lam Huynh, a doctoral student from the Graduate Program in Sustainability Science at the University of Tokyo, have been published in Nature Communications titled "Meta-analysis indicates better climate adaptation and mitigation performance of hybrid engineering-natural coastal defence measures." 

The research team conducted a meta-analysis to compare the performances of conventional hard measures and nature-based solutions (hybrid, soft and natural measures) for coastal defence, across different functions of risk reduction, climate change mitigation, and cost-effectiveness.

The study indicates that hybrid and soft measures offer higher risk reduction and climate change mitigation benefits than unvegetated natural systems, while performing on par with natural measures. Soft and hybrid measures are more cost-effective than hard measures, while hybrid measures provide the highest hazard reduction among all measures. All coastal defence measures have a positive economic return over a 20-year period.

The findings offer insights for policymakers and communities facing climate-related challenges, providing a strong evidence-base for integrating and upscaling nature-based components into coastal defence in lower risk areas.

Lead author of this research work, Ms. Lam Huynh is a doctoral student at GPSS.

The full study can be accessed [https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-46970-w], with additional resources available on the University of Tokyo website.

Readers are invited to explore the research and engage in discussions on climate change adaptation.