Sea level rise, claims-making and managed retreat in Fairbourne, North Wales

Chris Hilson and Alex Arnall

Climate Policy, 2025, vol. 25, issue 6, 852-865

Abstract: Climate change and sea-level rise mean that managed retreat of populations away from coastal areas will be increasingly necessary in coming decades. However, decisions involving managed retreat are often a source of conflict between local communities and public authorities. Law and society literature on naming, blaming and claiming provides important insights into how conflicts emerge and end in litigation. This paper applies this literature to examine claims-making beyond just the courts. Drawing on media stories about Fairbourne, a coastal village in North Wales, it explores how residents have mobilized against managed retreat. Data from these stories is analysed using the above naming, blaming and claiming framework. This reveals eight distinct claims, including three stemming from a naming of climate risk and five concerning economic harms. Paying attention to the claims-making process using this tripartite framework aids understanding and may help avoid conflict around managed retreat caused by sea-level rise.Sea-level rise as a result of climate change is a key issue for many small, low-income coastal communities that are unlikely to receive significant investments in sea defences over the medium to long term.Adapting to sea-level rise through managed retreat involves the decommissioning of housing and infrastructure and relocation inland. However, managed retreat often produces conflict with local populations and gives rise to claims-making by them.Being able to unpick community claims-making, by disaggregating it into naming, blaming and claiming, can help policy makers to understand community standpoints and establish how relevant conflicts might be resolved.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1080/14693062.2024.2420739

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