• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report of 2007 concludes that climate change and sea level rise are inevitable.

Sea level rise is a global problem that will impact locally on the NSW coastline.  Coastal communities and environments are particularly vulnerable to climate change due to the potential for permanent inundation and increasing coastal hazards associated with changing weather patterns and extreme weather events.

Over the period 1870 to 2001, global sea levels rose by 20cm, with the current global average rate increasing approximately twice the historical average.  Sea levels are expected to continue rising throughout the 21st century and there is no scientific evidence to suggest that sea levels will stop rising beyond the end of the 21st century or that current trends will be reversed.

In October 2009, the NSW Government released the NSW Sea Level Rise Policy Statement to support adaptation to projected sea level rise impacts.

The Policy Statement provides the following Sea Level Rise Planning Benchmarks for use in assessing the potential impacts of sea level rise in NSW:

• increase of 0.4m by 2050 (relative to 1990 mean sea level)
• increase of 0.9m by 2100 (relative to 1990 mean sea level).

For more information about how these sea level rise planning benchmarks have been determined, refer to the Technical Note:

• Derivation of the NSW Government’s Sea Level Rise Planning Benchmarks

For more information about Climate Change and Sea level Rise in NSW, see:

• Department of Environment and Climate Change and Water (DECCW) website

Also in August 2010, the NSW Department of Planning released the NSW Coastal Planning Guideline: Adapting to Sea Level Rise and Fact Sheet to provide guidance on how sea level rise and its associated impacts are to be considered in land use planning and development assessment in coastal NSW.

In conjunction with the release of the Department of Planning Guideline, the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DECCW) have prepared the following guidelines to assist Councils incorporating the sea level rise planning benchmarks in coastal hazard studies and flood studies:

• Coastal Risk Management Guide: Incorporating the sea level rise benchmarks in coastal hazard assessments
• Flood Risk Management Guide: Incorporating the sea level rise benchmarks in flood risk assessments which should be read in conjunction with the 2007 DECC Floodplain Risk Management Guideline: Practical Consideration of Climate Change

Draft Pittwater Foreshore Sea Level Rise Investigation

Pittwater Council has prepared draft maps for the report Pittwater Foreshore Floodplain - Mapping of Sea Level Rise Impacts. The draft maps have updated the 2004 estuarine inundation maps to incorporate the latest sea level rise projections and the latest topographical information to calculate the extents of inundation. If the draft maps are adopted by Council, amendments will be required to the Pittwater 21 Development control Plan (DCP).

For more information on the draft Pittwater Foreshore Floodplain - Mapping of Sea Level Rise Impacts click here.

Narrabeen Creek

Pittwater Council has established a sea level rise investigation area at Narrabeen Creek. Councils may adopt sea level rise investigation areas (potential coastal risk area) prior to the completion of new or revised studies, for the purpose of informing strategic land use planning. This is the case with Narrabeen Creek and the current updating of the Narrabeen Lagoon Flood Study. Sea Level rise investigation areas should not be included in environmental planning instruments, DCPs or development assessments. 

• Map of the Narrabeen Creek sea level rise investigation area

Updated: 11 Jul 2011