Even a small rise in sea level can have big impacts on coastal properties, so we must do all we can to limit the changes while taking them into account in coastal land-use planning.
Booming prices for coastal properties are a mark of our reluctance to reckon with the climate change that is already upon us. We must start to properly account for and act on climate risk.
New Zealand’s first adaptation plan gives local councils clearer guidelines, but it doesn’t tackle crucial questions about who should pay and how to future-proof major investments.
The author’s 9-year-old son will likely face about four times as many extreme events in his lifetime as older adults today. An international report explains the impacts already being felt.
Judy Lawrence, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington; Alistair Woodward, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Anita Wreford, Lincoln University, New Zealand, and Mark John Costello, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
As the impacts and costs of climate change increase over time, New Zealand’s financial systems could become less stable and the government less able to support those affected.
NOAA’s 2021 high-tide flooding outlook shows where the risks are highest and growing. Some communities are seeing 20 or more days of flooding a year now.
Rebecca Priestley, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington; Richard Levy, GNS Science; Taciano L. Milfont, University of Waikato; Timothy Naish, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington, and Zoë Heine, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
Survey respondents who overestimated the amount and speed of sea-level rise were more likely to express greater concern. But concern is not always helpful in prompting action.
Many coastal US cities are contending with increasingly frequent and severe tidal flooding as sea levels rise. Some are considering building seawalls, but this strategy is not simple or cheap.
James Renwick, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
For every ten centimetres of sea level rise, the chances of a 100-year coastal flood increase three-fold. This means we’ll have to build flood defenses or retreat from the coast.