Australians love property and being near water. But fast forward 30 years and the two may be incompatible, judging by global forecasts warning of sea level rises that could threaten thousands of coastal residents in decades to come.
New research from the University of South Australia analyses the storm surge risks to Port Adelaide – one of Adelaide’s most flood-prone regions – and considers how authorities might prepare for such a scenario between now and 2100. The likelihood of this happening over the next 80 years is growing, based on sea level rise projections and forecasts predicting more intense weather in Australia, resulting in severe storm surges which can inflict considerable damage.
UniSA PhD candidate John Watson is exploring a legal framework for relocating people from urban areas prone to frequent storm-surge flooding. He has adopted Port Adelaide as a case study. Watson, from UniSA’s School of Law, says there are three policy options available to adapt flood-prone regions: protection (building structures such as seawalls); accommodation (improving drainage, or constructing houses on stilts); or managed retreat (permanent relocation to higher land).
The third option is worth considering, despite being the most unpalatable and under-researched solution, he argues in his soon-to-be completed thesis. “It may be preferable for governments at some point in the future to acquire properties at risk of frequent flooding and convert them to a public use, such as open space or a flood buffer,” he says.
Continue reading at University of South Australia
Image via University of South Australia
