National Coastal Risk Assessment
Climate change brings significant risks to the coastal zone. The first pass National Assessment of Climate Change Risks to Australia’s Coast draws together existing and new information to highlight the scale of problem Australia faces as a vulnerable coastal nation.
The Climate Change Risks to Australia's Coast report identifies the key risks of climate change to Australia’s coastal zone and outlines the role of adaptation as part of a balanced and staged response to manage these climate change risks.
The Australian Government is committed to holding a national forum in early 2010, which will be an important step towards developing a blueprint for coastal cities and towns to meet the current and future climate challenges.
Quick links
Download the report
Read answers to frequently asked questions
Watch videos on issues relating to the report
Fact sheets
Coastal climate change – the science basis (50 KB) (RTF 11.8 MB)
Climate change risks to infrastructure, essential services and industry (503 KB) (RTF 12.3 MB)
Climate change risks to the coastal natural environment (510 KB) (
RTF 11.8 MB) Background
The objectives of the first pass national assessment are to:
- Provide an assessment of the implications of climate change for nationally significant aspects of Australia’s coast, with a particular focus on coastal settlements and ecosystems.
- Identify areas at high risk to climate change impacts.
- Identify barriers or impediments that hinder effective responses to minimise the impacts of climate change in the coastal zone.
- Help identify national priorities for adaptation to reduce climate change risk in the coastal zone.
A significant investment in national capacity has underpinned the assessment to develop a consistent, detailed national coastal geomorphology map and a medium resolution Digital Elevation Model covering the Australian coast. Investment in high resolution elevation modelling is also occurring in many jurisdictions.