The Enlightenment of Domestic and International Legal and Policies Related to the Sea Level Rise Adaptation

The global mean sea level is rising with an acceleration, posing threats to coastal ecosystems and environments, and impacting the societal viability of coastal nations, particularly the low-lying countries and island states. Along China's coast, the rate of sea level rise exceeds the global average, leading to compressed coastal habitats, loss of shoals, threaten underground freshwater resources, and exacerbated disasters such as storm surges, floods, and sea water intrusion. The risen sea level also constrains the sustainability of coastal spatial planning. Our research compares the legal, regulatory policies, and adaptive measures of the United States, the Netherlands, Australia, and New Zealand in addressing sea level rise with China's legislative practices in relevant fields and the international conventions signed by China. By conducting an in-depth analysis from the perspectives of socialist rule of law and local legislation, we suggest that coastal local governments should strive to balance the conflicts between coastal development and environment protection under the backdrop of climate change by: a) strengthening research on local relative sea level rise prediction and its impact, b) applying research outcomes to coastal development management, c) raising public awareness about sea level rise, and d) progressively initiating the local legislative process.