The Dominion Post’s environment reporter Kiran Chug on the implications of climate change for sea level changes.
An excerpt: (read in full here)
“In its advice to councils, the ministry says that as sea levels rise, more high tides will flood coastal land. Waves will have more chance of attacking backshores and foredunes, and erosion of beaches will worsen. More estuaries and harbours will flood, cliffs will retreat, and existing coastal defences could be damaged. That could leave the land and buildings behind existing sea walls without protection.
“Ministry senior analyst Warren Gray said the current advice to councils was to plan for a sea level rise of 50cm, and consider what a rise of 80cm could mean. He said some were planning for sea level rises of up to 1.5 metres.
“We want people to be safe, but not building defences that are not necessary,” he said.