Abstract
In this article, it is argued that community opposition and the divisive 'dobs and sobs' debate associated with managed retreat proposals ('defend our bachs' or 'save our beaches'), cannot be simply dismissed as ill informed nimbyism. With reference to the case study of Waihi, the author argues that community resistance to managed retreat is an indicator of the complexity of the political challenges that underpin climate change problems. Adapting to climate change will require more than prescriptive policy solutions. Decision makers also need to rethink democratic processes if they wish to foster deeper community resilience to climate change. This includes revisiting concepts of scale in decision making (both spatial and temporal), procedural justice, and linkage (between local, regional, national and international governments, citizens, non-governmental organisations and the private sector).
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.