The coast is a complex and dynamic system and slight changes in coastal processes can lead to larger scale consequences with wide-ranging implications for the entire coastal environment. Through an understanding of how the coastline has responded to historical coastal processes, it is possible to anticipate how the coast will change in future years.

The most authoritative reports on the science of climate change are those produced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which brings together leading experts from around the world with the objective of assessing the scientific, technical and socio-economic data relevant for the understanding of the risk of anthropogenic climate change.

Politically, climate change has received a considerable amount of recent attention and the predictions of climate change impacts are beginning to influence policy at the international, national and regional level.

As part of the RESPONSE Project a review has been made of coastal processes and climate change evidence and predictions, with particular reference to the RESPONSE study area.