Counting the costs: Climate change and coastal flooding

This report explores two of the most serious consequences of rising sea level in Australia—the large increase in the frequency of coastal inundation and the recession of ‘soft’ shorelines. It describes the observed and projected economic costs of coastal flooding and damage to infrastructure and local ecosystems.

The report describes how scientific understanding of sea-level rise has improved significantly over the last decade, and outlines the challenge of making better decisions about future coastal development. Finally, the report discusses the urgent need to stabilise the climate to reduce the level of risks from coastal flooding in the future.