Applying Climate Change Narratives to Coastal Hazard Management Policy in the United States

The communication of climate change presents unique problems from a public policy standpoint. Specifically, the public narrative about climate change can act to reinforce existing worldviews or, in the alternative, aid in moving worldviews in new directions. Existing policies can help or hinder this process. For example, a long-standing policy can engender an acceptance of a narrative supporting climate change as a phenomenon. Alternatively, existing policies can reinforce an antagonistic or even fatalistic narrative of climate change. This paper explores existing literature on the categorical narratives associated with climate change, including emerging support for those narratives. It then places those narratives into a public policy context by looking at some existing policies in the United States related to coastal hazard management in an era of climate change. The goal is to highlight the importance of current policy narratives when considering the impact of both the chosen narrative of climate change and how existing policies influence public perception towards a particular narrative. By better understanding the effects of current policy on climate change communication, better policy approaches can be undertaken that lead to more effective climate resilience and sustainable planning in coastal regions.