The Environment Commissioner's report on climate change and rising sea levels warns sea levels will rise 30 centimetres in 30 years.
The report, called Understanding the Science, warns flooding and erosion from rising sea levels will impact on New Zealanders in our lifetimes.
Victoria University associate professor and GNS Science senior scientist Nancy Bertler says if the rise comes to pass, it will be capable of causing "tremendous damage".
She says the UN has estimated with a 50cm rise, "coastal inundation, floodings and storm events will increase by a factor of 1000".
The evidence, says Prof Bertler, is "incredibly certain" and could be an underestimation, depending on what the polar ice caps do.
Watch the video for the full interview with Nancy Bertler.
source: newshub archive
