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Mercury
22-07-2025
- Climate
- Mercury
Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast: The coastal suburbs that could disappear
Thousands of Aussie homes face coastal threat, some uninhabitable by 2050 Thousands of Australian homes, including those in new housing developments, are at significant risk from coastal erosion and rising sea levels, with some potentially becoming uninhabitable within decades. An interactive online mapping tool, which reveals how melting ice sheets could inundate Australia's coastline, has flagged numerous coastal communities as high-risk property investment zones. Some areas are likely to be underwater as early as 2050. Global sea levels have risen by approximately 3.6mm per year over the past decade, exceeding the 20th-century average, according to the Royal Society. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts further increases are inevitable, with a rise of 15cm to 30cm expected in the next 25 years. Climate Central's risk screening tool indicates that Sydney localities such as Kurnell Beach, Towra Point, Cartler Island, Sydney Airport, and parts of Bondi Beach face regular flooding and erosion. In Melbourne, suburbs including Patterson Lakes, Aspendale, Docklands, and the Cheetham wetlands are under significant threat by 2050. Adelaide could see high-tide inundation of properties in Port Adelaide, Wingfield, Semaphore Park, Grange, and New Port. The Salisbury Council's new City Plan 2035 report may also be affected. Key areas to watch in Brisbane include almost all coastal communities north of Wynnum and south of Thornside, as well as the Gold Coast. In Darwin, northern suburbs are most at risk. Coastal property crisis looms: One in ten homes set to become uninsurable A climate change-fuelled insurance crisis is looming for Australian homeowners, with new modelling predicting a dramatic increase in uninsurable properties. Climate Valuation analysts warn that within the next decade, one in ten Australian homes will be effectively uninsurable due to the escalating risks of rising sea levels and extreme weather. Currently, around 380,000 properties are already deemed either uninsurable or unaffordable to insure, equating to about one in every 20 homes. Rural and regional areas are already feeling the pinch, with community lawyer Denis Nelthorpe reporting instances of homeowners receiving exorbitant flood insurance premiums, effectively rendering them uninsurable, according to the ABC. As insurance becomes unaffordable, property values are predicted to plummet, creating 'mortgage prisoners' trapped in unsellable homes. Climate Valuation chief executive Karl Mallon warns that banks may begin refusing mortgage applications in high-risk zones, further exacerbating the crisis. While some advocate for government intervention through premium caps and pooling arrangements, Mallon argues that prioritising property adaptation to withstand changing conditions, supported by national schemes to cover the costs, is a better solution. Entire town at risk of coastal collapse While most communities face the potential risk of severe flooding, for one Western Australian town, the reality of climate change is already hitting hard. Lancelin is at serious risk of being washed away by aggressive coastal erosion, which has stripped more than 25m of land in the past year, endangering homes and lives. More than 10m of land has vanished since May alone. The erosion is so severe that a popular seaside lookout is scheduled for demolition due to safety concerns. 'Without immediate intervention, the safety of the foreshore and the integrity of essential coastal infrastructure remain at serious risk,' said Glen Trebilcock, owner of the Lancelin Sands Hotel, who has launched a petition calling for emergency government funding. Tourism, a key part of the local economy, is already suffering. Mr Trebilcock told 7News that six tour groups that once passed through daily have stopped coming altogether. Gold Coast faces years of recovery after cyclone's fury Lancelin's plight is not unique. One of Australia's most beloved beachside holiday destinations is grappling with the aftermath of Cyclone Alfred, with experts warning it could take years for the Gold Coast's iconic beaches to fully recover. Four months after the cyclone, the city's 'A-Line' rock wall remains exposed in parts, concerning residents and tourists. 'It's just ruined the beaches, the high tide comes right up to the wall,' Main Beach local Rod Clutton told the ABC. Despite a $30 million investment in sand-pumping, the recovery is slow. The Gold Coast City Council estimates a full recovery could take up to three years, describing Cyclone Alfred as the worst weather event to hit the city in 50 years, leaving beaches at their narrowest in a quarter of a century. The erosion is staggering, with an estimated six million cubic metres of sand ripped from the coastline. Areas like Narrowneck Beach are particularly vulnerable, and the challenge now is to protect the iconic holiday destination for future generations. Flood-prone housing developments spark national debate A controversial housing development in Townsville, North Queensland, has ignited a national debate about the risks of building in flood-prone areas, prompting calls for governments across Australia to reassess their planning policies. An ABC investigation revealed that homes are being built in areas known as 'black zones,' which are subject to evacuation orders during floods, raising serious questions about the safety and insurability of these properties. As Australia grapples with a housing affordability crisis, the Townsville case highlights a difficult trade-off: balancing the need for more housing with the increasing threat of extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change. Experts warn that continuing to build in high-risk areas could lead to unsustainable insurance costs and leave homeowners vulnerable to devastating losses. The Queensland government's role in approving these developments is now under scrutiny, with critics arguing for a more cautious approach to land sales and development approvals in flood-prone zones. The debate is now extending nationally, with calls for a consistent, evidence-based approach to planning that prioritises community safety and long-term resilience over short-term development gains. The question now facing governments across the country is: How can Australia address the housing crisis while ensuring that communities are protected from the growing risks of flooding and other climate-related disasters? Aussie town where land is 'worthless' due to sea level guidelines In Victoria, the situation is equally concerning. Coastal landowners in Loch Sport are facing financial devastation as new climate change planning laws, factoring in rising sea levels, effectively render their vacant land 'worthless'. The policy shift is blocking new housing construction and wiping out property values, leaving owners trapped and local communities struggling. Henry and Veronica Luiz, who purchased land in the Gippsland district with retirement plans, are among those impacted. They've discovered their block now has 'basically… zero value' after planning authorities retracted previous approvals due to the state's flood plain management strategy. This strategy mandates new builds in low-lying areas account for a 0.8m sea level rise, on top of the existing 1.9m Australian Height Datum. Real estate agent Rachelle Potts estimates 350 properties in the Wellington Shire area are affected, describing the impact as 'devastating'. Owners who viewed their land as a 'nest egg' for retirement are now facing significant losses. A petition demanding a review of the regulations and compensation for affected landowners has garnered over 1200 signatures. Nationals Member for Gippsland South, Danny O'Brien, has also taken the issue to parliament, seeking clarity from the government. While coastal geomorphologist David Kennedy defends the overlays as a 'conservative estimate', the Victorian government insists the policy protects lives by preventing construction in vulnerable areas. However, the policy is sparking outrage and raising questions about the future of coastal communities in the face of climate change.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Aussie mum's scary insurance dilemma after double disaster: 'Nowhere is untouched'
An Aussie mum-of-two whose family has faced two extreme weather disasters in five years is struggling to find affordable insurance for her home. But 44-year-old Chay Khamsone is far from being alone — her town on the NSW Mid North Coast is one of dozens facing unacceptable danger, according to new analysis by the Climate Council. Looking nationally, more than 2 million properties are now difficult to insure. Over 652,000 (4.4 per cent) are considered at high risk of extreme weather events, and 1.55 million properties (10.4 per cent) are at moderate risk. Chay lives an hour away from Port Macquarie in the tiny town of Pappinbarra, which was hit by bushfires in 2019 and then floods in 2021. "We're really in the thick of this climate whiplash feeling. And I know communities across Australia are experiencing this now too, so it feels like nowhere is untouched," she told Yahoo News. "It's just really disruptive and really expensive. Our local council is still cleaning up from the 2021 floods." Chay doesn't want to move, and she'd like her kids to stay in the area too. But she's not sure she'd like them to follow her footsteps as a firefighter. It's a common concern many volunteers face as they weigh up the risk to their kids against keeping the community protected by the next generation of firefighters. 'My kids have expressed interest in joining the bushfire brigade. I'm really proud of them wanting to do that, but I also would feel worried that we're sending them into unfightable fires in the future,' Chay said. The Climate Council's new At the Front Door report categorised 86 suburbs as 'critical climate risk zones', where 80 to 100 per cent of properties are classified as high-risk. The non-profit has also updated its data suburb analysis tool with information from Climate Valuation, a company that assesses how climate change affects the risk to property. For a long time, global warming has been a conceptual idea for most people, but the Climate Council's chief economist Nicki Hutley said the report highlights that it's now "literally at the doorstep of Australian households'. 'We keep getting hit by disasters in Australia and that's driving insurance bills through the roof, but we cannot insure our way out of this crisis,' she said. Karl Mallon is an insurance industry expert and the founder of Climate Valuation. Given the immediacy of the problem, he's called on governments to provide communities with a clear understanding of how they plan to keep them safe and mitigate the impacts of natural disasters. 'Our data draws on 15 million commercial and residential properties in over 15,000 Australian suburbs and 150 electorates. The numbers show us that climate change is not a far-off future event: it threatens entire communities today,' he said. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, Australian temperatures have risen by more than 1.5 degrees between 1910 to 2023. The problem is only expected to get worse because pollution from the burning of fossil fuels is continuing to increase, and this leads to more frequent and severe extreme weather events. 🤧 How climate change impacts allergies 🦈 Theory emerges after massive shark found bitten in half 🦘 Subtle roadside detail that poses danger to drivers For Chay, her focus is on the upcoming election and what stance political parties are taking on protecting communities and families from the threat of climate change. "As a firefighter, I would feel like Australians have my back if they vote for a safer climate,' she said. '[Climate change] has dropped off the agenda a bit, but I'd love for them to keep talking about it. Because we trust what the scientists are saying. They are cautious people, but they need regular people to be banging on about it.' Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
