Jane Nees BOP Regional Councillor www.janenees.co.nz

The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment recently released a report on the impacts of our changing climate on sea levels, and the thinking we need to do to cope with this.

Key messages in the report are it is certain the sea level is rising and will continue to do so for centuries to come. The impacts of this will vary from place to place, but we can expect low-lying areas near the coast will increasingly flood; erosion of beaches and ‘soft' coastal cliffs will increase; and we will see higher, and possibly saltier, coastal ground-water.

The report notes the global average sea level has risen about 20 centimetres since the beginning of the 20th century, because water in the sea is becoming warmer and expanding; mountain glaciers are retreating; and polar ice sheets on Greenland and Antarctica are shrinking as our average air temperatures warm.

The good news is the sea level rise will be gradual, and while it is predicted to accelerate as time passes, there is sufficient time to plan for its impacts - although we need to be planning for it now.

The Bay of Plenty Regional Council has collated research on climate change, adopted a position statement on it, and set policy around it in its Regional Policy Statement. It is doing further work to ensure that the region as a whole adapts and becomes more resilient to climate change effects.

Meanwhile, Tauranga City Council is undertaking modelling of potential impacts of sea level rise and climate change in its area, and Western Bay of Plenty District Council is consulting with its community on the impacts of forecasted sea level on erosion around the harbour.

You can expect to hear a lot more about this in the future because this is an issue which has the potential to affect many people and their property across New Zealand.

If you have views on this or any other issue, you can email me at neesj@xtra.co.nz or ring me on 07 579 5150.