Pelican Point residents build seawalls despite scepticism of rising sea-level threat

Their houses are just a few metres from the sea, but many locals in the South Australian town of Pelican Point are sceptical of predictions their town will one day be under water.

Still, almost all of the homes in the small South East town that face directly onto the ocean now have home-made sea walls in front of them.

Even small increments in sea level can lead to significant coastal retreat and an increase in the frequency of coastal flooding events.

The local District Council of Grant is preparing a coastal adaptation strategy for the town, along with other areas under threat from rising sea levels and rougher seas caused by climate change.

With legal costs rising, the council and the Coast Protection Board abandoned legal action in 2017 against property owners who built sea walls decades ago.

[...]