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

Action 2: The informed society

Success can be a hazard!

How can we explain this apparent contradiction? The success of coastal risk management in the North Sea region is demonstrated by the fact that, due to huge national and regional efforts to improve coastal flood defences, no catastrophic storm floods have occurred since 1962. The hazard that may result from the success is that people feel safe in coastal lowlands. The awareness of coastal risk in society might diminish, the willingness to spend public money on coastal risk management might decrease and, in the end, risk levels may increase. Remember New Orleans!

 Earlier projects such as the Comrisk project show that, besides personal experiences (that we aim to avoid), knowledge about coastal risks helps to maintain and improve its acceptance in society in a long-term perspective. Knowledge is achieved through information. Consequently, the objective of this action is to create an informed society by the establishment of targeted information as well as by testing of appropriate information tools for different target groups. One of the main activities will be the conduction and monitoring of information campaigns in pilot areas (applying the information tools and the established information).

•  Final Report   On the exhibition (see photos below)

See below the risk communication brochures that were distributed to 200,000 people in Schleswig-Holstein:

 
 ^{West coast of Schleswig-Holstein              East coast of Schleswig Holstein}

The brochures were accompanied by flood emergency leaflets to concretely inform the public on what to do when a coastal flood occurs. See below a number of those crisis communication leaflets that have been distributed in specific areas in the state of Schleswig-Holstein:


Steinburg /  Krempermarsch  
Steinburg / Wilstermarsch
Kiel
Nordfriesland
Ostholstein
Pinneberg
Plön
Schleswig-Flensburg
 

Responsible for this Safecoast action:

Schleswig-Holstein State Ministry for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Areas, Coastal Defence Division [DE] (MLUR)

Ministry of the Interior of the Land Schleswig-Holstein, Emergency Planning and Disaster Management Division [DE] (IM)

Safecoast exhibition in Kiel, Germany