Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
As the state’s coastal communities face increasing climate-related threats, the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management has released a ResilientCoasts Draft Plan that identifies strategies to address coastal resilience over the next half century.
The plan estimates that more than 3 million Massachusetts residents live in a community expected to experience coastal impacts between now and the end of the century, putting people, as well as significant environmental, cultural, economic and recreational resources, at risk.
The 278-page draft plan provides guidance and strategies to address near- and long-term vulnerability to coastal hazards such as sea level rise, storm surge and erosion.
“The Commonwealth cannot afford the cost of inaction on climate change,” the plan states.
Weather and climate disasters have cost Massachusetts an estimated $10 billion to $20 billion since 1980, according to the draft plan, but every $1 invested in resilience and disaster preparedness can yield up to $13 in cost savings.
“The costs of inaction are daunting, but preparedness pays off,” the plan states. “By proactively investing in resilience, the Commonwealth can avoid the worst impacts and save money doing it.”
With the plan, the ResilientCoasts effort aims to:
• Improve human health and safety
• Protect and enhance the value of natural and cultural resources
• Increase resilience of built infrastructure
• Strengthen the coastal economy
• Advance equity and environmental justice
• Support the capacity of coastal communities
Referencing the 2022 Massachusetts Climate Change Assessment and the 2023 ResilientMass Plan, the new draft plan focuses on the coastal hazards of sea level rise, storm surge, wave action, and coastal erosion. It estimates some of the future environmental and economic consequences of coastal hazards, including the following:
• Coastal property damage could reach more $1 billion a year, on average, by the 2070s, with more than 70% of the damage occurring in the Boston Harbor region.
• Massachusetts municipalities could experience $104 million in lost revenues each year by mid-century, with 3 feet of sea level rise, and $946 million per year by the end of the century, with 6 feet of sea level rise.
• Annual expected loss of or damage to state-owned buildings and infrastructure from coastal flooding is estimated at $8 million today and may grow to $36 million by 2050 and over $52 million by 2070.
While outlining these projected economic impacts, the plan warns that the full range of consequences from coastal hazards will include potential loss of life, health care-related costs, and damages to ecosystem services. Indirect effects flowing from coastal hazards will likely also impact the rest of the state.
The draft plan was released on May 15, and Coastal Zone Management is seeking public comment through June 12.
Municipal leaders and the public can submit written comments by emailing them to Deanna Moran at deanna.moran@mass.gov, or by mailing them to Moran’s attention at the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management, 100 Cambridge St., Suite 900, Boston, MA 02114.
After this phase, ResilientCoasts plans to focus on implementation efforts, including support for design, permitting and construction of coastal resilience projects, and carrying out state-led strategies and actions, including regulatory, policy and funding mechanisms.
Launched in late 2023 and led by the Office of Coastal Zone Management, the ResilientCoasts initiative is an effort to pursue a holistic strategy for addressing the impacts of climate change along the Massachusetts coastline. In collaboration with the state’s coastal communities, ResilientCoasts works to identify regulatory, policy and funding mechanisms that will support focused, long-term solutions.
The plan says that the coastal zone encompasses 78 communities, but that the geographic planning area of ResilientCoasts includes 98 communities, which reflects additional communities that are expected to see impacts from climate change and sea level rise over the next 50 years.