Tour de Coasts Advances Global Coastal Sustainability at SRI 2025

The Future Earth Coasts (FEC) continues advancing coastal sustainability through its dynamic ‘Tour de Coasts’ initiative. For the second year in a row, the flagship project convened an audience of researchers, policymakers, and community leaders at the Sustainability, Research and Innovation Congress (SRI) 2025. One stand-out panel discussion at the SRI 2025, “Tour de Coasts: Insights from the Global Coastal Sustainability Survey,” took place on June 16, 2025 in Chicago, IL, USA. The ‘Tour de Coasts’ session provided an extensive exploration of coastal challenges and community-driven solutions from around the world.

Launched in 2023 by Future Earth Coasts in collaboration with the University of South Carolina and Sciences for Sustainable Earth, the ‘Tour de Coasts’ set out to capture global perspectives on coastal sustainability. The goals of the ‘Tour de Coasts’ were to form a knowledge exchange about priority coastal sustainability concerns and to create a comprehensive understanding of coastal sustainability challenges and opportunities from a global perspective.

At the SRI 2025, the team introduced cornerstone achievement results: A global survey conducted in 2024 received over 200 responses from more than 70 countries. The survey illuminated a wide range of definitions of sustainability, barriers, contributions, and priorities in achieving coastal sustainability. The results also elevated promising local strategies and success stories from the frontlines of coastal action. The data highlighted the importance of both global collaboration and local leadership.

Dr. Xiaoyu Fang of Future Earth Coasts opened the session and set the stage by outlining the vision and evolution of ‘Tour de Coasts.’ Dr. Katya Altman presented the survey results, emphasizing both the common challenges and the locally developed, community-led innovations. “Connect with the FEC network, share your work and regional stories,” Altman emphasized continuous engagement, “let’s co-create a resilient future together!”

Two powerful case studies followed. Dr. Dwayne E. Porter shared insights from the EJ Strong initiative in South Carolina, which strengthens disaster risk reduction and recovery through community capacity building and environmental justice. Dr. Heath Kelsey spotlighted work in New Caledonia and Fiji, where participatory governance and co-design approaches are helping communities define their own priorities for sustainability and resilience.

The formal part of the session concluded with a presentation by Dr. Anja Scheffers, who outlined the way forward in achieving coastal sustainability, including investment in governance and leadership, mobilizing funding, advancing transdisciplinary research, empowering communities and youth, scaling up successful solutions, and fostering collaboration and accountability.

The session continued with a lively discussion and engaging Question and Answer time that once again emphasized the importance of the community taking ownership and outlining priorities in addressing sustainability concerns. What set this session apart was its commitment to equity and collaboration. The panel underscored the importance of integrating local and Indigenous knowledge, fostering co-designed decision-making, and prioritizing community-led solutions. Participants left the room not only with new data and case examples, but also with actionable strategies to replicate, scale, and adapt across coastal contexts globally.

The ‘Tour de Coasts’ session aligned closely with the SRI 2025 themes of One Health and Collaborative Decision-Making. By bridging science, policy, and lived experience, it sparked powerful conversations and forged new connections. As coastal communities confront rising challenges and shifting conditions, the message from SRI 2025 is clear: Sustainable futures are not only possible but they are also already being imagined and built by communities around the world.

Stay tuned for more updates and opportunities to engage by visiting https://www.futureearthcoasts.org/tour-de-coasts/ and following us on LinkedIn at Future Earth Coasts.

未来地球海岸（FEC）通过其标志性的"全球海岸行"倡议持续推动海岸可持续发展。这一旗舰项目连续第二年在2025年全球可持续发展研究与创新大会（SRI 2025）上汇聚了研究人员、政策制定者和社区领袖。2025年6月16日在美国芝加哥举行的"全球海岸行：全球海岸可持续发展调研成果分享"专题论坛成为大会亮点，深入探讨了全球海岸挑战及社区主导的解决方案。

该倡议由FEC与南卡罗来纳大学、可持续地球科学组织于2023年联合发起，旨在收集全球海岸可持续发展观点。其目标是建立关于海岸可持续发展问题优先项的知识交流平台，并从全球视角全面理解海岸可持续发展的挑战与机遇。

团队在SRI 2025上发布了里程碑式成果：2024年开展的全球调查收到来自70多个国家的200多份回复。调查揭示了可持续发展的多元定义、实现海岸可持续发展的障碍、贡献因素和优先事项，同时突出了海岸行动前沿的本地策略和成功案例。数据强调了全球协作与地方领导力的重要性。

FEC方潇雨博士主持论坛，阐述了"全球海岸行"的愿景与发展历程。Katya Altman博士发布了调查结果，既强调了共同挑战，也展示了本地开发的社区主导创新方案。"与FEC网络建立联系，分享您的工作和当地的故事，"Altman强调持续参与的重要性，"让我们共同创造有韧性的未来！“

专题论坛上随后展示了两项典型案例。Dwayne E. Porter博士分享了南卡罗来纳州"EJ Strong"倡议的见解，该计划通过社区能力建设和环境正义来加强灾害风险降低与恢复工作。Heath Kelsey博士重点介绍了新喀里多尼亚和斐济的工作，在这些地区，参与式治理和共同设计方法正帮助社区确定其可持续性和韧性的优先事项。

论坛正式环节以Anja Scheffers博士的报告结束，她概述了实现海岸可持续发展的前进道路，包括投资治理和领导力、动员资金、推进跨学科研究、赋能社区和青年、推广成功解决方案以及促进协作和问责制。

论坛随后进行了热烈的讨论和问答环节，再次强调了社区在解决可持续发展问题中发挥主导作用和明确优先事项的重要性。本次论坛的独特之处在于其对公平和协作的承诺。研究小组讨论强调了整合本地和原住民知识、促进共同设计的决策过程以及优先考虑社区主导解决方案的重要性。与会者离场时不仅获得了新数据和案例，还掌握了可在全球海岸环境中复制、扩展和调整的可操作策略。

"全球海岸行"专题讨论会与SRI 2025的"全民健康"和"协同决策"主题高度契合。通过连接科学、政策和实际经验，它引发了有力的对话并建立了新的联系。随着海岸社区面临日益严峻的挑战和不断变化的环境，SRI 2025传达的信息很明确：可持续的未来不仅可能实现，而且正在被全球各地的社区构想和建设。