… Carlsbad, unlike many other seaside communities facing gut-wrenching decisions about how to handle coastal erosion, might just have the time, space and resources to get ahead of the problem. Plenty of advocates in the region hope the city can be a model for climate adaptation with its proposal to move the road inland. But its ambitions depend on its ability to find outside funding and build public support locally for the project. Right now, the city is on track to choose the path of “retreat now,” before an emergency situation, rather than “retreat later,” the default option for many communities — especially those facing harder decisions to move homes and businesses rather than just infrastructure.