Coastal climate adaptation planning and evolutionary governance: Insights from Homer, Alaska

Climate variability is not a new challenge for coastal communities. However, because climate variability is manifesting with more extreme climate impacts, occurring with greater frequency and with more intensity, the necessity for adaptation to minimize risk is becoming more pronounced. Though this is true of coastal communities around the globe, it is an acutely important concern for coastal communities in high northern latitudes, where the impacts of climate change are occurring at a disproportionate rate. With Homer, Alaska, as a case study, and through the lens of evolutionary governance, this research investigates coastal stressors (eg. storm surges, bluff instability) and subsequent decision dynamics around local government policy and planning for climate adaptation. In particular, the paper explores the relationship between actors and institutions, the connection between power and knowledge, as well as the challenges of path and goal dependencies. Narratives from key informants associated with Homer's climate change agenda highlight that while some stakeholders are keen to mainstream adaptation thinking into long-term strategic planning, adaptation policy remains a low priority (with a focus instead on mitigation). Uptake is further hindered by a belief among key decision-makers that the threat of climate change is a concern for the future. This in turn has resulted in diminished internal capacity (eg. institutions, knowledge) to effectively prepare for climate variability in general. Drawing insights through evolutionary governance theory, this study may provide coastal community decision-makers with an appreciation of the value (and nuanced challenges) of embedding climate adaptation thinking into strategic community planning.