Bondi under siege as swelling ocean seeps into suburbs
Bondi beach will shrink to a thin ribbon of sand and extreme storm surges would reach the top of its concrete sea wall, research commissioned by the local council shows.
The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, released on Friday, found the sea level would rise and could be expected to be up to 80 centimetres higher by the end of the century.
As scientists warned of dire global consequences from climate change at the report's release in Stockholm, residents in Sydney are grappling with the practical implications.
In the case of an 80-centimetre rise in sea levels, high tides would regularly flood parts of many Sydney suburbs that are close to water, including sections of Annandale, Mosman, Marrickville, Brighton-le-Sands, Sylvania Waters, Five Dock and Narrabeen.
In Bondi, critics say local authorities are ignoring rising sea levels that threaten millions of dollars' worth of planned waterfront works - a claim strongly contested by the council.
The beach, which pulls 1.8 million visitors a year, is poised for its biggest overhaul in decades after the council proposed an underground car park, beachfront parks and a new waterfront promenade. It follows the unveiling last week of the $7 million North Bondi surf lifesaving clubhouse.
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It's about time Bondi got an overhaul, it's been getting very shabby-looking
