ASSESSING THE RISKS OF A FUTURE RAPID LARGE SEA LEVEL RISE: A REVIEW

Roger Kasperson, Maria Bohn and Clark Goble

No FNU-73, Working Papers from Research unit Sustainability and Global Change, Hamburg University

Abstract: Our aim is to make an appropriate characterization and interpretation of the risk problem of rapid large sea level rise that reflects the very large uncertainty in present day knowledge concerning this possibility, and that will be useful in informing discussion about risk management approaches. We consider mainly the potential collapse of the West Antarctic ice sheet as the source of such a sea level rise. Our review, characterization and interpretation of the risk makes us conclude that the risk of a rapid large sea level rise is characterized by potentially catastrophic consequences and high epistemic uncertainty; effective risk management must involve highly adaptive management regimes, vulnerability reduction, and prompt development of capabilities for precautionary reduction of climate change forcings.

Keywords: sea level rise; West Antarctic ice sheet; climate change; adaptive management; epistemic uncertainty; risk management arenas; vulnerability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q54 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ene and nep-env
Date: 2005-05, Revised 2005-05
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Persistent link: http://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sgc:wpaper:73

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