Its odd to think that coastal hazards can increase with time, when looking at things in geological timelines, I just assumed that the threats posed by coastal hazards present today are the same that could have occurred thousands of years ago, as well as thousands of years into the future. This is simply not the case, especially for a country like New Zealand that has such a large ratio of coastal area to non coastal area. According to New Zealand's Ministry for the Environment climate change could have an affect on erosion and inundation, also interesting to learn was current and future development of coastal areas increase the probability of damage. New Zealand is stepping up its building regulations to account for climate changes affect on coastal hazards in the future. They acknowledge sea level rise, but due to the lack of concrete predictions aren't really focusing on preparing against it. Rather they are working to set a standard by which they can reasonably assume the rate at which the sea level will rise. They are acknowledging the affect on drivers, and plan to allow only future development of coastal areas that will not add to the level of risk to current coastal development. New Zealand's ministry for the environment has publish information online for the public to access and educate themselves on hazards and how to respond to them. I feel that they are taking a very progressive and responsible approach to managing their coastal hazards.
http://mfe.govt.nz/node/10759
It does appear that New Zealand is being proactive by enacting building regulations due to the rising sea level. The problem, as you stated in your blog, is not knowing how much the sea level will rise in the future. I have looked at several different scientific models that predict how much the sea will rise in a certain numbers or years, but they are just models. None of these predictions are going to be 100% accurate and many may be very inaccurate. Just to be safe, buildings and homes should be built far enough away from the ocean so there will be no risk to damage or destruction. The buildings and homes that are already constructed may have to be reinforced or eventually totally abandoned. Since the majority of the world’s population lives near the coast, this is an issue that many will have to deal with on some level rather it is the homes they live in, the roads they drive on or the buildings they work in.
ReplyDeleteGreat images...crazy to think we actually pay more money to have a house at a cliff....(:
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