The way forward: Supporting climate adaptation in coastal towns and small cities

This article summarizes and reflects upon the work presented in ‘The Unusual Suspects in Climate Change Adaptation – Small Coastal Cities and Towns’ special issue. Across the special issue the challenge of adapting coastal towns and small cities to the impacts of climate change was clearly evident. In order to address some of the challenges, an initial way forward is outlined here to act as a pathway for future research. The areas requiring particular focus include: building a network of coastal towns and small cities; estimates of numbers of coastal towns and small cities worldwide; cost estimates and funding sources; linking adaptation to higher-level agencies through Sustainable Development Goals and other reporting requirements; further research on the influence of tourism on coastal adaptation; and, a focus on more case studies from the Global South. It is hoped that with the momentum provided by the Sustainable Development Goals, the way forward provided by this special issue, and other research, coastal adaptation in smaller coastal settlements will greatly advance in the next decade.