The SARCC Project is live!

It is my pleasure to introduce the Sustainable And Resilient Coastal Cities project, and formerly note some of the excellent work that has been done to date. SARCC is a pan European project, 60% EU funded, designed to deliver a series of different zero or low carbon innovative solutions to combating worst impacts of sea level rise. SARCC will deliver around 10 million euros of investments. These will be split between physical assets and ancillary tools. The tools will outline processes and methodologies to address concerns of the individuals impacted by impending sea level change. The basic point is that communities have to be given the confidence that nature-based solutions work. Capacity building is critical.

The main project focus is to engage with solutions that avoid using concrete where possible. Concrete and cement, solve short term problems only. They erode, cost a great deal to maintain, they also remove scenic beauty. If this was not enough, the production of concrete is one of the most carbon intensive processes in the industrial world. Nature based solutions often absorb carbon in contrast.

The project as a whole will also seek to show how monetary value is returned to the areas that employ such solutions. The investment has both a natural return, and a monetary return. A simple example being the potential for the coastline protection to be cheaper and more effective, because nature is doing the maintenance not the local authority.

This means that as well as delivering actual beach and coastline defences, at a pilot scale, the project will focus on the strategies that need to be deployed to engage businesses and individuals. This means working with universities that understand the study of the change in social acceptance along with successful post pilot adoption by an authority.

In addition SARCC will be using the geological record to show that nature-based solutions have precedent. Nature-based solutions are not new and untried; nature has been using them for 1000’s of years!

Sam - Southend-on-Sea Borough Council