AIBS National News

The Department for Climate Change has released a new report mapping the impacts of climate change on Australia's coastal communities.

The report - Climate Change Risks to Australia's Coasts - is the first continental scale mapping of residential buildings at risk from climate change.

This first pass assessment focuses particularly on risks to residential buildings from inundation and erosion.

The Report is intended to:

• Identify areas at high risk to climate change impacts

• Identify key barriers or impediments that hinder effective responses to minimise the impacts of climate change in the coastal zone.

• Help identify national priorities for adaptation to reduce climate change risk in the coastal zone.

Key Findings:

• The report shows between 157,000 to 247,600 existing residential buildings will be at risk from sea inundation by 2100, under a sea-level rise scenario of 1.1m.

• Of the 711,000 existing residential properties close to the water, between 157,000–247,600 properties are identified as potentially exposed to inundation with a sea-level rise scenario of 1.1 metres.

• Nearly 39,000 properties are located within 110 metres of ‘soft’ shorelines and at risk from accelerated erosion due to sea-level rise and changing climate conditions.

The current value of existing residential buildings at risk from inundation ranges from $41 billion to $63 billion (2008 replacement value).

• Decisions on future development, particularly in areas highly exposed to the impacts of climate change, should not increase risk.

Government roles in planning and setting benchmarks will be central to risk management, and there is a high level of public good assets in the coastal region.

• The rising value and number of coastal properties (as a result of this increasing supply and increasing population) in turn exacerbates risk exposure from climate change impacts.

Some development and related land use decisions may need to be further constrained to ensure climate change impacts will not come with further exacerbated risks.

It further reiterates the recommendation of the Coastal Climate committee for a new building code by 2015 to respond to climate change.

Issues identified requiring further attention include developing standards and benchmarks, providing information, auditing infrastructure at risk, agreeing risk allocation frameworks, on-ground demonstrations of adaptation options, and local capacity building.

State-By-State Risk on Residential Homes:

The report emphasizes the view that avoidance of future risk is the most cost-effective adaptation response in most cases.

The full report can be downloaded here ...