National Coastal Risk Assessment
Climate change brings significant risks to the coastal zone. The first pass national assessment, Climate Change Risks to Australia’s Coast, draws together existing and new information to highlight the scale and range of issues Australia faces as a vulnerable coastal nation.
The Climate Change Risks to Australia's Coast report identifies the key risks to Australia’s coastal areas and outlines the role of adaptation as part of a balanced and staged response to manage these risks.
The National Climate Change Forum: Adaptation Priorities for Australia’s Coasts was held on 18-19 February 2010. At the Forum, local, state and federal decision-makers discussed the latest science on climate risks for coastal communities and resulting issues for planning frameworks, disaster management and construction standards, among other things. The Forum was also tasked with contributing to the development of a national strategy for coastal adaptation.
Quick links
Download the Climate Change Risks to Australia's Coast report
Watch videos on issues relating to the report
Fact sheets
Coastal climate change – the science basis (PDF 50 KB) (RTF 11.8 MB)
Climate change risks to coastal infrastructure, industry and essential services (PDF 503 KB) (RTF 12.3 MB)
Climate change risks to the coastal environment (PDF 510 KB) (RTF 11.8 MB
Background
The objectives of the first pass national assessment are to:
- Provide an assessment of the implications of climate change for nationally significant aspects of Australia’s coast, with a particular focus on coastal settlements and ecosystems.
- Identify areas at high risk to climate change impacts.
- Identify barriers or impediments that hinder effective responses to minimise the impacts of climate change in the coastal zone.
- Help identify national priorities for adaptation to reduce climate change risk in the coastal zone.
A significant investment in national capacity has underpinned the assessment to develop a consistent, detailed national coastal geomorphology map and a medium resolution Digital Elevation Model covering the Australian coast. Investment in high resolution elevation modelling is also occurring in many jurisdictions.