Coastal Tourism Adaptation to Climate Change in Brazil

The scientific consensus on the anthropogenic causes of climate change and its effects on the economy and society have led the international community, nation-states, supranational institutions, companies, and civil society to engage in reducing the magnitude of this phenomenon (mitigation) and to become more resilient to its effects (adaptation). The Brazilian coast, which is more than 9 thousand km long and known for its tourist and economic importance, is susceptible to the impacts of climate change. Since it is threatened by events that raise the sea level and cause beach degradation, adaptive solutions such as beach nourishment have been implemented to protect the coast from erosion and storm surges damage and to widen the beach to optimize its space for tourism. In light of this, we present adaptation practices and solutions, based on empirical evidence, to the main current and future challenges of the impacts of extreme weather events on Brazilian shores carried out on the beaches of Copacabana, in the city of Rio de Janeiro, and Balneário Camboriú and Piçarras, in the state of Santa Catarina.