• Lynn MacLaren surveys the damaged path. Photo by Carmelo Amalfi

Storms have washed away parts of the coastline linking Fremantle and Cockburn—but is it climate change, the impact of the Port Coogee marina or simply bad weather?

At South Beach, erosion has cut into dunes and fences with young trees left scattered on the dog beach in front of the South Beach apartments.

Long-time swimmers say the damage is unprecedented and blame changes in ocean dynamics caused by the new marina.

Cyclists, joggers and pet owners were unimpressed when the Herald inspected the damage Tuesday.

“How do we get to the beach?” one elderly woman asked after council workers blocked the ruined cycle path with mounds of sand and plastic orange fencing.

Local Greens MLC Lynn MacLaren says the latest report by the intergovernmental panel on climate change confirms sea levels are expected to rise a metre by the end of this century.

“I have introduced a coastal planning bill to prepare Western Australians for rising sea levels and eroding shore lines,” she says. “This isn’t just about our environment, there is built infrastructure at risk.”

Inspecting the damaged shoreline on Wednesday, she says her coastal planning bill—the first climate change bill in the state—ensures planning strategies are based on science.

“The IPCC report stands as an example of current and relevant evidence that we must pay attention to when it comes to how we build WA’s future,” she says.

“I’ve started by proposing planning guidelines for impacts along our coast. We are predominantly a coastal population, this issue will not go away.”