St Kilda’s Brookes Jetty, showing the likely waterline in 2100 (pic: Baykeeper)
The Victorian Government has accepted that sea level is likely to rise by 800 mm by 2100. The recent king tide in late December was a good time to get a sense of what that’ll mean to Port Phillip Bay. On the evidence above, St Kilda beach as we know it will be under water. Along with lost beaches there’ll be a whole host of infrastructure, public and private property right around the country that will need to be protected, relocated or simply abandoned.
The Australian Government’s 2011 State of the Environment Report found 81% of Australians live within 50 km of the coast. Around 64% of Australians live in our capital cities and 16% of the remaining population live in rural coastal areas. Meanwhile, there are still some who want to argue the toss about climate change being due to to natural or human induced causes…. when it’s obviously a bit of both. The point is: what are we going to do about it; and, who’ll have to pay for it?
For more king tide snaps Witness King Tides
