WA coastal towns among most at risk in the world: Climate Commission

Towns along Western Australia's coastline are among the most susceptible to climate change in the world with the areas of Mandurah, Busselton, Rockingham and Bunbury under particular threat of flooding and coastal erosion, a new Climate Commission report reveals.

The report estimates between 18,700 and 28,900 residential buildings – worth up to $7.7 billion - are at risk of inundation due to rising sea levels.

Sea levels along the WA west coast have been rising about double the global average since 1990, at between 7.1 millimetres and 7.4 millimetres per year, according to the commission.

Fremantle already has seen a 20 centimetre rise in the sea level since the late 1800s, which has caused a three-fold increase in recorded flooding.

"We are more certain of the climate change risks for water resources for south-western WA than any other part of Australia," he said.
Read Article