How is rising sea level affecting our communities?Rising sea level is a reality that many people do not believe or want to believe. People want to protect their investments and their homes, but some of them know that the sea will eventually take their homes and livelihoods. These people try to believe that nothing is happening, but the harsh reality is that sea levels are rising and are predicted to rise by up to a meter or more in the next hundred years. Some areas are more vulnerable than others and some are already feeling pressure from the sea. I live in an area that will be severely affected by rising sea levels, along with much of my family and friends. I strongly support ideas and implementation of projects that will help protect existing buildings and infrastructure, or focus on building a new and improved city for a future with higher sea levels. Local Perspective: South DunedinSouth Dunedin is one of the lowest urban areas in the Dunedin region. It is also one of the most deprived areas, with a deprivation index of 9 or 10. Much of South Dunedin is reclaimed land and already has a high water table, but rising water levels Seas of up to one meter could partially or completely flood southern Dunedin permanently. This increase is expected to occur gradually over the next 100 years. This gives local governing bodies time to plan and implement solutions over the next 100 years. The geography of Dunedins is also unique, the city is built in the middle of an ancient volcano that has been eroded. in the middle over millions of years to form a peninsula and a shallow harbor. The port is surrounded by hills. South Dunedin is one of the only low-lying regions...... middle of paper ......tp://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/9884022/NZ-unprepared-for-climate-changes >.Munro, Bruce. “Climate change: sink or swim.” Otago Daily Times [Dunedin] April 5, 2014, Saturday ed., sec. Magazine: 47. Print. Peat, Neville. Telephone interview. April 7, 2014. Church, John, Phillip Woodworth, Thorkild Aarup and Stanley Wilson. Understanding sea level rise and variability. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. Print. “Dunedin, Otago Harbor and Otago Peninsula _ aerial. » Dunedin, Otago Harbor and Otago Peninsula _ aerial. Np, and Web. 7 April 2014. "Hawke's Bay Earthquake 1931 - Christchurch City Libraries." 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake - Christchurch City Libraries. Np, and Web. April 10. 2014. .