Lateline By Hamish Fitzsimmons Updated Wed 17 Sep 2014, 2:57pm
Full story double click http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-17/sea-level-rises-will-cost-australia-billions-report/5748676
Climate Council report finds Future sea level rises could put more than $200 billion of Australian infrastructure at risk, a report by the Climate Council has found.
The report, Counting the Costs: Climate Change and Coastal Flooding, showed sea levels were likely to rise by between 40 centimetres and one metre over the next century. The Climate Council succeeded the Australian Climate Commission, which was axed after the Federal Government took office last year.
The report's lead author, Professor Will Steffen, warned national income would suffer huge losses if action was not taken to protect against rising sea levels and extreme weather events.
"You're looking at anywhere from three tenths of a per cent of loss of GDP per year, all the way up to 9 per cent loss of GDP per year," Professor Steffen said.
Coastal flooding report:
At least $226 billion of infrastructure exposed to flooding and erosion (with a 1.1m sea level rise), including:
◦ $81b – commercial buildings
◦ $72b – residential
◦ $67b – road and rail
◦ $6b – light industrial buildings
If you're one of the 4 in 5 Aussies that live near the coast you'll want to read this
Click the link for more information http://www.climatecouncil.org.au/coastalflooding
Australia is by every measure a coastal country: our homes, towns and cities are concentrated on the coast; our major cities are port cities; and our iconic beaches are world-famous tourist destinations.
4 in 5 Australians live near the coast and close to a quarter of a million homes are exposed, which means many of us are very vulnerable to the increasing risk from sea level rise and coastal flooding.
But the worst impacts of sea level rise can be prevented if we act now, saving billions of dollars into the future and avoiding serious dislocation of communities.
That's why this morning I joined world-leading sea level rise expert Dr John Hunter and Climate Councillors Prof. Will Steffen and Prof. Lesley Hughes to launch a landmark report to the media. The report details what sea level rise means for Australians, the costs to the economy and what we need to do to avoid the worst impacts.
Full story double click http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-17/sea-level-rises-will-cost-australia-billions-report/5748676
Climate Council report finds Future sea level rises could put more than $200 billion of Australian infrastructure at risk, a report by the Climate Council has found.
The report, Counting the Costs: Climate Change and Coastal Flooding, showed sea levels were likely to rise by between 40 centimetres and one metre over the next century. The Climate Council succeeded the Australian Climate Commission, which was axed after the Federal Government took office last year.
The report's lead author, Professor Will Steffen, warned national income would suffer huge losses if action was not taken to protect against rising sea levels and extreme weather events.
"You're looking at anywhere from three tenths of a per cent of loss of GDP per year, all the way up to 9 per cent loss of GDP per year," Professor Steffen said.
Coastal flooding report:
At least $226 billion of infrastructure exposed to flooding and erosion (with a 1.1m sea level rise), including:
◦ $81b – commercial buildings
◦ $72b – residential
◦ $67b – road and rail
◦ $6b – light industrial buildings
If you're one of the 4 in 5 Aussies that live near the coast you'll want to read this
Click the link for more information http://www.climatecouncil.org.au/coastalflooding
Australia is by every measure a coastal country: our homes, towns and cities are concentrated on the coast; our major cities are port cities; and our iconic beaches are world-famous tourist destinations.
4 in 5 Australians live near the coast and close to a quarter of a million homes are exposed, which means many of us are very vulnerable to the increasing risk from sea level rise and coastal flooding.
But the worst impacts of sea level rise can be prevented if we act now, saving billions of dollars into the future and avoiding serious dislocation of communities.
That's why this morning I joined world-leading sea level rise expert Dr John Hunter and Climate Councillors Prof. Will Steffen and Prof. Lesley Hughes to launch a landmark report to the media. The report details what sea level rise means for Australians, the costs to the economy and what we need to do to avoid the worst impacts.
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