An Insurance Business Magazine article.
Growing flood risk will be the main driver for New Zealanders to make changes to adapt to rising sea levels due to climate change, according to a study by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA).
“Rising seas are slowly causing a trifecta of impacts along coastlines in Aotearoa: increasingly frequent flooding, coastal erosion and even permanent inundation,” said Scott Stephens, NIWA chief scientist for coasts and estuaries. “Our research shows that it’s the first of these three impacts – increasing flood risk – that’s likely to be the main driver of adaptation efforts by coastal communities, and this tipping point is likely to be reached within two to three decades – sooner than many of us expect.”