Coastal Risk Index (CRI)

Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance (ORRAA), University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC)

The Coastal Risk Index (CRI) is a ground-breaking, open-source modelling tool that harnesses the power of data to enable investors, insurers, and policymakers to assess better and understand coastal risk.  It encompasses hydrodynamic models to map flood risk at a 90-metre resolution in current climate conditions and potential scenarios in 2030 and 2050, including the anticipated impacts on communities and coastal assets. Most importantly, it models flooding with and without protecting coastal ecosystems, which helps quantify the value of habitats like reefs and mangroves in protecting communities. It also assesses the impact of flood risk on social and economic vulnerability and how nature-based solutions can be leveraged to build resilience for the most vulnerable.