Eric Panicco, a candidate for Master of Arts in Sustainability at Wake Forest University, is undertaking an independent study for CPR Member Scholar Sidney Shapiro.

On August 3 of last year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the Clean Power Plan. It was a historic moment for President Obama, one he commemorated by observing, "We're the first generation to feel climate change, and the last one that can do something about it."

Should it survive the inevitable court challenge launched within days of its release, the Clean Power Plan would reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) as an important part of a strategy to mitigate the effects of climate change. However, because of the GHGs that humans have already released, we will have to address the effects of climate change that are already well underway. Mitigation efforts such as the Clean Power Plan are important to keep those effects to a minimum, but our regulatory agencies have an additional task when it comes to climate change: employing successful adaptation strategies.

The Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) is one such endeavor. Passed in 1972, the CZMA is administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Like many pieces of federal legislation …