267,000 homes at risk as Australia braces for coastal flooding surge
Climate Council forecasts rising seas will damage more than 267,000 coastal properties and cost $855 billion in economic losses by 2100.
A new Climate Council report warns that coastal flooding will reshape Australian property by the end of the century. The projection takes in both sea level rise and storm surge.
The projection assumes a warming of 2.7 degrees, similar to expected heating based on current global policies. Queensland faces the greatest risk with 93,157 properties at stake.
NSW has 71,210 at risk. Western Australia has 51,366.
The Gold Coast is the most exposed urban area. It faces projected losses of $84.4 billion alone.
Damage is also expected to affect 619,713 hectares of agricultural land. This raises food security concerns.
Peter Lake is a grazier in NSW's Clarence Valley. His farm has flooded five times since 2009.
In the 2022 major flood, safe ground shrank to just a few acres from his usual 15.
- 267,000
- Coastal properties at risk by 2100
- $855 billion
- Projected economic losses
- 2.7 degrees warming
- Temperature assumption
- $84.4 billion
- Gold Coast projected losses
Why it mattersCoastal property values and agricultural productivity are under genuine long-term threat, reshaping investment, insurance, and food supply across Australia.
AustraliaMillions of Australians live or work in coastal areas. Property insurance may become costlier or harder to get, and farming regions will face increasing pressure to adapt or relocate.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 27 d ago
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