‘Building too close to the water. It’s ridiculous!’ Talk of buyouts after floods shows need to get serious about climate adaptation

Thu, 18 Aug 2022 23:27:03 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://theconversation.com/building-too-close-to-the-water-its-ridiculous-talk-of-buyouts-after-floods-shows-need-to-get-serious-about-climate-adaptation-186999>

"Australians are reeling from climate change impacts including more frequent
and severe disasters – floods, droughts, searing heat and fires. These complex
disasters are fuelling calls for managed retreats and debates about buying out
at-risk properties.

Buyouts involve governments paying compensation or compulsorily acquiring land
to manage a retreat from high-risk areas. Moving people and assets permanently
out of harm’s way is considered a final step in a long line of options for
climate adaptation.

It had often been thought of as something for future generations to grapple
with, but my global review of the research literature shows a surge in studies
of this issue in the past five years. Retreat is something we have to grapple
with now.

Some parts of New South Wales have been flooded four times in 18 months.
Retreat and relocation from properties in high-risk areas must now be central
to climate adaptation. My research provides lessons for Australia from around
the world in how to manage this difficult task."

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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