Rising sea levels threaten Australia's coastal lifestyle, warns report

Australia's famous coastal lifestyle is at risk from rising sea levels, according to a parliamentary report that raises the prospect of developers being banned from building new beachside homes and offices.

Rising seas, combined with more frequent storm surges and higher tides, pose a growing threat to more than 700,000 homes – worth an estimated A$150bn (US$137bn) – that are located within three kilometres of the ocean and less than six metres above sea level, warns a report, Managing our coastal zone in a changing climate, released yesterday.

About 80 per cent of Australia's 21 million citizens live in coastal areas, which are currently overseen by a fragmented management policy set by local councils. While some councils have allowed residents to build sea walls to protect their homes, others have opposed the measure, preferring a "planned retreat", whereby nature is allowed to take its course.

The study calls for a national policy that could give government authorities the power to prohibit citizens from occupying coastal properties and put a ban on building new beachside residences.

The report insisted that the threat of rising sea levels was both real and likely to impact coastal communities far earlier than is widely anticipated. It noted that a rise in sea levels of just one centimetre is expected to lead to at least one metre of erosion on the shoreline, making coastal buildings vulnerable to flooding, erosion, high tides and surging storms.

As well as calling for better management of coastal areas, the research's authors also argued that the findings underlined the need for the national government to "continue to take urgent action to ensure that Australia can best contribute to a reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions".

Prime minister Kevin Rudd told parliament yesterday that with parts of the c ountry already suffering from crippling droughts, the report was a further reminder that "Australia has more to lose through continued inaction on climate change" than most other countries.

"The real cost for Australia of continued inaction on climate change is deep and enduring, damaging to our economy and damaging to the nation's environment, " said Rudd.

The findings stem from an 18-month investigation into the state of Australia's coastline by the House Standing Committee on Climate Change, Water, Environment and the Arts.

The report's release comes less than a week after Rudd's Labor government reintroduced a proposed climate change bill to the lower House of Representatives. The bill, which sets out legislation for binding emissions targets and a nationwide carbon cap-and-trade scheme, is expected to be voted on by both houses of parliament by the end of November.

The bill is an amended version of proposed legislation that was rejected by the Senate in August. The government, which is a long way ahead in the poll, has threatened a snap election if the bill is blocked by opposition parties for a second time.