The NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change
(DECC) has issued a draft Sea Level Rise Policy
Statement (Policy Statement) for consultation. The
Policy recommends setting sea level planning benchmarks for a rise
relative to 1990 mean sea levels of up to 40cm by 2050 and 90cm by
2100. A Technical Note has also been prepared which explains how
these benchmarks were derived from Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change and CSIRO reports. Submissions on the draft Policy
Statement are due by Friday 3 April 2009.
Sea Level Planning Benchmarks
The Policy Statement sets out the state government's
approach to "sea level rise, the risks to property owners from
coastal processes, and the assistance the Government provides to
councils to reduce the risks of coastal hazards". It includes
the warning that "the Government does not have nor does it
accept specific future obligations to reduce the impacts of coastal
hazards and flooding caused by sea level rise on
