Sea level rises twice as fast as expected and threatens Auckland

According to their predictions, the authorities have less time than expected to plan how to adapt to the consequences of climate change, in particular the resettlement of the population living along the coasts.

The water rises, the earth sinks

According to Tim Naish, a professor at Wellington University in Victoria who co-managed the NZ Sea, if the global sea level rises by about half a meter by 2100, that rise should reach about one meter in large parts of the archipelago because the land is sinking in the same the time.

This would be particularly disastrous for the capital, Wellington, which could see a sea level rise of 30 cm by 2040, which was not expected before 2060. The residents of Wellington could thus be victims each year of floods causing damage.

weak south

The data show that the most populous southeast coast of the North Island is the most exposed. Auckland, with a population of 1.7 million, is the country’s largest city, is particularly vulnerable.

Sea levels are expected to rise 50% faster on the downtown waterfront and in many suburbs, which will have a significant impact on home prices and insurance premiums.