Coastal
communities around the world are being increasingly exposed to the
hazards of rising sea levels, with global sea levels found to be rising faster
over the past two decades than for the bulk of the 20th century.
But managing the impacts of rising seas for some communities
is being made more difficult by the actions of governments, homeowners – and
even some well-intentioned climate adaptation practitioners.
Coastal adaptation policies usually carry political risk.
One of the main risks is when communities end up divided between those wanting
a response to the growing risks of coastal flooding, and those more concerned
about how their own property values or insurance premiums might be hit in the
short-term by such action. For some, the biggest threat is seen to be from sea
level rise adaptation policies rather than sea level rise itself.
Read the thoughts of the Director: Knowledge to innovation
at the Queensland University of Technology, Mark Gibbs, on The Conversation - “Sea level rise is real – which is why we need to retreat from unrealistic advice.”
(Strangely, in the shadow of this conversation, the Victorian
Andrew’s Government is considering creating and island by reclaiming land in
the shallow waters of Hobsons Bay, just south of the Yarra River mouth between
Williamstown and Port Melbourne, and would be big enough for three hulking
container vessels to berth at.
The proposed container island has been dubbed "Webb Dock
South" in planning documents prepared by state Treasury and handed to the
Andrews government's port lease transaction team in February – read the report
in The Age of just a few weeks ago – “Giant container island plan for Port Phillip Bay in bid to boost port sale value.”
The proposed island would be among the first things in Victoria to
vanish as the world’s oceans begin to rise, meaning the idea needs to be
completely re-thought and we need to distance ourselves from the advice of the
so-called experts).
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