Climate change and spatial developments
Defining and sketching common most likely scenarios for climate change in the North Sea Region coastal area.

The Informed Society
To improve the awareness of coastal risk and personal responsibilities in society in the long-term

Integrated Risk Assessment
Transnational comparisons of risk methods, interregional information sharing and data exchange harmonisation

Three cohesion actions consider important aspects of
flood risk management. In relation to project Safecoast,
risk is defined as the probability of flooding happening, multiplied
by the costs, or consequences, of such an event. Hence:

• Risk = probability  x  consequence
  

In order to get better insight in the probability of a flood actually happening, for example to use in the design of flood and coastal defences, it is necessary  to know how the sea reacts.  Within the North Sea and along its coastlines, measuring equipment is recording data for use in sophisticated models to analyse this behaviour. This information helps in the long-term design of flood defences, or dikes, or alternatively by providing immediate data for storm surge tide warning systems.

But how about sea level rise and other climate change related issues, including the consequences of flooding, such as potential economic damage or, much worse, the loss of human life?
How will factors such as economic growth, population numbers, and the environmental designated areas change in the coming fifty years?

• Cohesion action 'climate change and spatial developments' is looking for answers surrounding these important issues and relevant changes anticipated for 2050.

And what about our responsibilities?
Surely, national and regional authorities are responsible for designing and maintaining coastal defences to keep our feet dry.
However, on the coast, total safety from the sea is not possible – this is a natural element and force - the risk of flooding can only be reduced to an acceptable level by coastal management. All along the North Sea coastlines different approaches exist with respect to informing the general public about these kinds of risks. Do people have a responsibility of their own? What can you do? Who will provide support and is using what kind of information?

• Cohesion action 'the informed society' will try to find practical solutions on how to improve awareness and inform people about the risk of flooding.

In the meantime, there is still lots of know how to exchange between the North Sea Countries. Given their different context and culture, each country has specialised in their own way of considering and assessing flood risk.  Since the sea does not abide to administrative borders, there is a common interest in sharing gathered data, for example on tide, waves and wind.  In practice, however, nationally diverse systems and data processing methods sometimes pose an obstacle for data exchange.  Different methods and approaches, however, do have some advantages and give the opportunity to learn from each other. And that is exactly what we will continue doing:

• Cohesion action 'integrated risk assessment' is providing a framework for ongoing comparison of, and learning from, different flood risk methods that are used in the North Sea countries.
  
  
  
  

                      ^{Dwelling mound at one of Schleswig-Holsteins "Halligen".}