Adapting to Climate Change & Sea Level Rise

The 2014 Maryland statewide survey reveals that while a majority of residents support state action to protect coastal areas from sea level rise and general climate harms, there is significant uncertainty regarding whether sea level rise is currently occurring and what causes it. Preferred adaptation strategies include changes to zoning regulations and long-range planning. Residents identify hotter weather and severe storms as the most likely local climate impacts, with agriculture, public health, and coastlines viewed as the most at-risk resources.

• A majority of Maryland residents believe protecting coastal areas from sea level rise should be a high or very high priority for the Governor and General Assembly, with 55% expressing this view.
• The most supported policy responses to sea level rise are changes to regulations such as zoning laws and set-back distances (67%) and long-range planning (66%).
• There is a notable lack of awareness regarding the current state of sea level rise in Maryland; 53% of respondents do not know if it is currently happening along the state's shorelines.
• Public understanding of the causes of sea level rise is limited, with 36% of residents unsure if the cause is natural or human-driven, although a majority believe climate change plays at least some role.
• Maryland residents are most concerned about shoreline erosion and land loss (54%) as the primary impacts of sea level rise, followed by habitat loss (47%) and private property damage (44%).
• There is strong general support for government action against climate change, with 73% of residents wanting local and state governments to take protective measures. The most supported specific actions are increasing urban trees (82%), restoring natural areas (80%), and improving farmer water efficiency (78%).
• Residents anticipate hotter weather (77%) and more severe storms (72%) as the most likely climate impacts in their communities over the next 10-20 years. Agriculture (56%), public health (55%), and coastlines (53%) are viewed as the resources most at risk in the coming years.

APA

Akerlof, K., & Maibach, E. W. (2014). Adapting to Climate Change & Sea Level Rise. Center for Climate Change Communication. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2014-Adapting-to-Claimte-Change-and-SLR.pdf

Chicago

Akerlof, Karen, and Edward W. Maibach. Adapting to Climate Change & Sea Level Rise. Center for Climate Change Communication, 2014. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2014-Adapting-to-Claimte-Change-and-SLR.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Akerlof |first1=Karen |last2=Maibach |first2=Edward W. |title=Adapting to Climate Change & Sea Level Rise |publisher=Center for Climate Change Communication |date=2014 |url=https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2014-Adapting-to-Claimte-Change-and-SLR.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{akerlof2014adapting, author = {Akerlof, Karen and Maibach, Edward W.}, title = {{Adapting to Climate Change \& Sea Level Rise}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2014}, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2014-Adapting-to-Claimte-Change-and-SLR.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }