Coastal household adaptation cost requirements to sea level rise impacts

Abstract

This study assessed the autonomous adaptation cost requirements of coastal households to sea level rise impacts at a level to accommodate and protect (excluding retreat). The study examined six vulnerable villages, including both urbanized and fishery communities, located in the Gulf of Thailand. Half of them were near the shore, and the other half were further inland. In initiating the study, to assess actual adaptation costs, common household adaptative measures were first identified; then, using a questionnaire to collect associated costs data, interviews were conducted with individual households. To predict future adaptation costs, the study applied the budgeting for recurrent costs of investment and the future value of an equal annual expenditures payment. Adaptation costs were classified into capital and operating expenditures. Then a statistical comparison was completed of the mean differences in costs between the villages. The study results indicate that the impacted households primarily spent their money for capital expenditures related to home and farming environments. Operating expenditures are not a concern for them. The expected future adaptation costs adjusted with inflation throughout the next 30 years will be five times that of the present costs. This will require households to plan their savings very carefully. Whereas the adaptation costs of urbanized villages are clearly higher than those of fishery villages, there is no significant difference in the costs between near shore and nextto-shore villages. Information regarding adaptation costs at the household level is extremely rare. Knowing the requisite amount for the adaptation costs will be of added benefit to policy makers preparing for future assistance programs. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2012.