Economic intensification continues to increase along many of the world's coastlines. This intensification, which includes asset and infrastructure intensification, along with increasing likelihood of inundation associated with sea level rise implies an increasing risk profile for many coastal communities. In response, many cities and owners of major civil infrastructure have commissioned climate risk and adaption studies in order to develop adaptation strategies. It is argued here that the uptake of many of these studies has been less than desirable in many cases, and a reason for this is a lack of appreciation of the different classes of  coastal risk and adaptation problems. As a result of this lack of understanding, many studies have delivered the right answer to the wrong problem.