Adaptation of Coastal Infrastructures to Climate Change: Two Examples of Touristic Facilities’ Adaptation in Western Mediterranean

The Mediterranean region is a hotspot for highly interconnected climate risks with key economic sectors highly vulnerable to climate hazards (agriculture, fisheries, forestry, tourism). This reinforces the socioeconomic vulnerability of the population living in the region (Ali et al. in Climate change 2022: impacts, adaptation and vulnerability. Contribution of working group II to the sixth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, pp 2233–2272, 2022). Understanding climate impacts on coastal areas is a key element for adaptation, urban planning, and economic policy. Legally, in the context of Spain, the promoters of infrastructure projects on the coastal zone are required to submit a Coastal Dynamics Study to the competent authority (National Coastal Authority). These studies must include an assessment of the potential impacts of climate change on the proposed projects, as well as potential adaptation solutions. In this paper, two case studies are presented, on one side, the study of a real estate asset (restaurant) vulnerable to coastal erosion in Tarragona that was affected by storm Celia in 2022 where authorities required a coastal dynamics study to understand future climate risks. On the other side, non-permanent tourist-related and nautical facilities in Formentera Island. The paper presents the processes followed to assess the climate risk and the results obtained to understand the needed adaptation solutions.