Managed retreat
Etymology
From "retreat" (an orderly withdrawal) plus "managed," stressing that it is planned rather than forced by catastrophe. The term rose in climate-adaptation policy as sea-level rise and repeated flooding made permanent defense of some areas impractical or ruinously expensive.
noun phrase · /MAN-ijd rih-TREET/
The planned relocation of communities and infrastructure away from climate hazards like rising seas and floods.
What it names
The hardest choice in climate adaptation — deciding that some places cannot be defended and must be left — as deliberate policy rather than disaster.
Example
Rather than rebuild the flood-prone neighborhood again, the town chose managed retreat and bought out the residents.
Related idea
The counterpart to climate mitigation (cutting emissions): managed retreat is adaptation, coping with impacts that are already unavoidable.
See also