Low-lying areas along the South Coast of NSW – including the Kioloa Coastal Campus – are at risk of being reclaimed by the sea if global warming continues unchecked, Fenner School Director Will Steffen has warned.

Professor Steffen spoke about the potential threat to Australia’s coastal areas at a gathering of ANU alumni and friends at Kioloa on Sunday 15 April. He told attendees that the human species has outgrown its planet.

“The last six months have seen a remarkable evolution of the climate change debate from a fringe, environmental issue to a main-stream political, economic and social issue,” Professor Steffen said.

“The question of whether human-caused climate change is real has long since been decided in the expert scientific community, a fact that is now being recognised in the political sphere, even in Australia.

“It’s now broadly accepted that human-created greenhouse gasses are warming the planet, a fact that threatens to melt large sections of the icecaps at the planet’s poles. This would lead to considerable rises in sea level, which would be disastrous for coastal communities in Australia and around the world.”

Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Chubb also spoke at the Kioloa picnic, providing an update on the University.

Students from the School of Music performed throughout the afternoon.

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