Can we adapt fairly? Scoping review of health equity implications of flood risk in coastal communities
Background As climate change progresses, it is critical to assess the equity of health impacts, adaptation interventions and policies. Climate change can contribute to coastal hazards like flooding resulting in loss of life, property and land, leading to potential long-term physical or mental health...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMJ Publishing Group
2025-08-01
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| Series: | BMJ Public Health |
| Online Access: | https://bmjpublichealth.bmj.com/content/3/2/e002588.full |
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| author | Sari Kovats Grace Turner Sally Brown Owen Landeg Rachel Brisley Louise O’Connor |
| author_facet | Sari Kovats Grace Turner Sally Brown Owen Landeg Rachel Brisley Louise O’Connor |
| author_sort | Sari Kovats |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background As climate change progresses, it is critical to assess the equity of health impacts, adaptation interventions and policies. Climate change can contribute to coastal hazards like flooding resulting in loss of life, property and land, leading to potential long-term physical or mental health impacts. Additionally, some UK coastal populations often face social deprivation and limited healthcare access, which can be worsened by environmental changes.Methods We conducted a scoping review of UK evidence on (a) inequalities in coastal flood risk and (b) the equity of measures to manage climate-related flood risks. Interventions included plans, flood insurance and infrastructure, including natural flood management. Following the screening of 19 329 references, we included 11 papers in the final review.Results Four studies examined the differentials in current and future coastal flood impacts, and seven assessed the equity of adaptation measures. Coastal flood risk is unevenly distributed across the UK. Policies and practices like household insurance and property resilience measures may increase inequalities, while community engagement, planning and structural solutions can reduce disparities, depending on local context and implementation.Conclusions Adaptation to UK coastal flood risk requires both short-term and long-term strategies. Approaches relying on individual behaviour or household income may worsen health inequalities. Further evaluations and better evidence are needed to improve flood planning and incident management. Climate change presents a challenge for organisations to deliver national and local policy responses ensuring that adaptation is effective and equitable in the immediate and longer term. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-70c0a0727bbd4d14abea0fa74411ae34 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2753-4294 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Public Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-70c0a0727bbd4d14abea0fa74411ae342025-08-20T04:03:18ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Public Health2753-42942025-08-013210.1136/bmjph-2025-002588Can we adapt fairly? Scoping review of health equity implications of flood risk in coastal communitiesSari Kovats0Grace Turner1Sally Brown2Owen Landeg3Rachel Brisley4Louise O’Connor5NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Environmental Change and Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UKDepartment of Biomedical Informatics and Medical Education, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA2 School of Health in Social Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UKExtreme Events and Health Protection Team, UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), London, UK4 Ipsos MORI UK Ltd, London, UK1 Health Protection Research Unit in Environmental Change and Health, NIHR, London, UKBackground As climate change progresses, it is critical to assess the equity of health impacts, adaptation interventions and policies. Climate change can contribute to coastal hazards like flooding resulting in loss of life, property and land, leading to potential long-term physical or mental health impacts. Additionally, some UK coastal populations often face social deprivation and limited healthcare access, which can be worsened by environmental changes.Methods We conducted a scoping review of UK evidence on (a) inequalities in coastal flood risk and (b) the equity of measures to manage climate-related flood risks. Interventions included plans, flood insurance and infrastructure, including natural flood management. Following the screening of 19 329 references, we included 11 papers in the final review.Results Four studies examined the differentials in current and future coastal flood impacts, and seven assessed the equity of adaptation measures. Coastal flood risk is unevenly distributed across the UK. Policies and practices like household insurance and property resilience measures may increase inequalities, while community engagement, planning and structural solutions can reduce disparities, depending on local context and implementation.Conclusions Adaptation to UK coastal flood risk requires both short-term and long-term strategies. Approaches relying on individual behaviour or household income may worsen health inequalities. Further evaluations and better evidence are needed to improve flood planning and incident management. Climate change presents a challenge for organisations to deliver national and local policy responses ensuring that adaptation is effective and equitable in the immediate and longer term.https://bmjpublichealth.bmj.com/content/3/2/e002588.full |
| spellingShingle | Sari Kovats Grace Turner Sally Brown Owen Landeg Rachel Brisley Louise O’Connor Can we adapt fairly? Scoping review of health equity implications of flood risk in coastal communities BMJ Public Health |
| title | Can we adapt fairly? Scoping review of health equity implications of flood risk in coastal communities |
| title_full | Can we adapt fairly? Scoping review of health equity implications of flood risk in coastal communities |
| title_fullStr | Can we adapt fairly? Scoping review of health equity implications of flood risk in coastal communities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Can we adapt fairly? Scoping review of health equity implications of flood risk in coastal communities |
| title_short | Can we adapt fairly? Scoping review of health equity implications of flood risk in coastal communities |
| title_sort | can we adapt fairly scoping review of health equity implications of flood risk in coastal communities |
| url | https://bmjpublichealth.bmj.com/content/3/2/e002588.full |
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