Linking the management of climate change adaptation in small coastal towns and cities to the Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract A new challenge for the management of climate change adaptation in small coastal towns and cities is linking adaptation projects and programs to the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These goals provide guidance for a wide range of programs to achieve a sustainable future for a changing world. The development of these goals and their targets and indicators is described, and the challenges and opportunities for coastal managers in linking adaptation projects and programs to them are delineated. Practical approaches to linking climate adaptation to the SDG targets and indicators are proposed. In addition, perspectives are provided on larger issues of relevance to related public policy sectors and the challenges of national aggregation of progress toward the SDGs. The discussion focuses on the very numerous small coastal towns and cities in the world, but the analysis is relevant also to the large wealthy coastal cities active in climate adaptation.