Coastal Erosion !

The release of a new  State Environmental Planning Policy ( SEPP ) is awaited with dread by thousands of property owners in danger from rising sea levels and the increased storm intensity caused by global warming.   For the past few decades there has been a mixed reaction from local  authorities and this past June a violent winter storm actually did major damage to properties fronting the coast at Wamberal and at Sydney's suburb of Collaroy.

The old SEPP in place delivered varying outcomes and this usually revolved around the outlook of individual councils.  In some instances it led to the construction of sea walls to protect endangered property while in others landowners who took their own action to prevent erosion were ordered to remove it.  It was painfully obvious that what had been ignored for years needed to be taken into account by way of a common policy.

Unfortunately, the extent of the problem is hard to quantify.  Rising sea levels may inch slowly upward over several centuries, or the great ice sheets of Greenland may melt away and have them rise by metres in a single century.  This is not merely a New South Wales problem - nor an Australian problem.  The entire world is likely to lose much of its land mass to the sea.

It is not only those lucky people living in homes fronting beaches that face this danger.  Rivers run inland from most Australian cities and when this water rises vast suburbs that have never experienced flooding will be permanently under water.   The entire contour of the Australian continent will change.

That is what makes configuring this SEPP so difficult.  We are trying to slow global warming by reducing the burning of fossil fuels, but the final outcome is unknown.  How far ahead can we prudently plan and that other very important question - who pays for what is needed to be done ?

That question hits the hip pocket nerve of all homeowners.  The first to suffer damage will be those magnificent properties facing onto beaches and these have million dollar price tags and are owned by the rich and successful of our society.   We do have the example of the Dutch in living on land below sea level and protecting it by vast dykes, but much of our coastal land would need to be sacrificed to provide a base for such a protective wall.

Much of the scientific community preach a policy of "retreat " as the only valid way of handling rising seas.   They claim the loss of land is simply a mistake on our part and we must pay the price for our foolishness.  Under that regime no new buildings are permitted in the flood zone and owners enjoy existing homes while they last, but receive no compensation when the sea overwhelms them.  The same policy applies to inland areas  affected by rising river water.

The economics of such a policy predict that the value of such flood affected homes will gradually decrease as the risk increases.  Renovation or extension would be forbidden in this flood zone and should the rise of the seas occur over a long period of time the individual personal losses would be spread over several generations.   The overall loss factor would be too great for governments to even consider compensation.

Most likely the SEPP that will shortly emerge will be some sort of compromise.  It should certainly ban new buildings or major renovations where flood damage is imminent but probably permit protection to minimise short term damage.  The severity of whatever is put in place will probably depend on what political risk eventuates.