The Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica is seen in this undated NASA image. Vast glaciers in West Antarctica seem to be locked in an irreversible thaw linked to global warming that may push up sea levels for centuries, scientists said on May 12, 2014. Six glac
The Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica is seen in this undated NASA image. Vast glaciers in West Antarctica seem to be locked in an irreversible thaw linked to global warming that may push up sea levels for centuries, scientists said on May 12, 2014. Six glaciers including the Thwaites Glacier, eaten away from below by a warming of sea waters around the frozen continent, were flowing fast into the Amundsen Sea, according to the report based partly on satellite radar measurements from 1992 to 2011. Reuters/NASA

Rise in sea levels due to climate change may cost Australia $200 billion in infrastructure. According to the latest report of the Climate Council, future sea level rise could reach between 40 centimetres to 1 metre in the next century.

The Climate Council's report is titled "Counting the Costs: Climate Change and Coastal Flooding." It warns of huge losses for Australia's national income unless the government takes action against the onslaught of extreme weather events and rising sea levels.

Lead author, Professor Will Steffen, said Australia may lose anywhere between three tenths of a percent and 9 percent loss of gross domestic product per year, according to reports. He warned of "staggering economic costs" if the effects of climate change cannot be controlled.

The Climate Council's report said the southeast corner of Queensland and Sydney would be hit the hardest by rising sea levels. A wide area of infrastructure will be also at risk since 75 percent of Australians live near the coastline, Steffen said.

The professor predicts Australia's vulnerable areas would see a one-in-100-year flood every few days toward the end of the century. He suggested infrastructures should consider protection from sea level rises.

He also said that if the construction and other sectors ignore sea level rises in new projects, the global impact of coastal flooding would cost $1 trillion a year by 2050. That is about the same size as the Australian economy.

In a report by Sydney Morning Herald, John Hunter, an oceanographer at the Antarctic climate and ecosystem cooperative research centre, said Sydney is prone to storm surges and high tides. He believes places like Hobart and Sydney are at risk of sea level rises if carbon emissions continue to heat up the planet at the current rate.

According to reports, sea levels have increased at a rate of 3.2 millimetres a year in the last 20 years. Scientists found that about 45 percent of the rising sea levels come from oceans expanding due to the heat from greenhouse gases. The melting ice from glaciers and polar ice caps also contribute to rising sea levels.

The Climate Council also reported that sea level rises would impact home insurance premiums since coastal erosion would become a great concern. Australian Local Government Association president Felicity-Ann Lewis remarked erosion has caused problems for homeowners living near the coast.

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