Sea-level rises: why flooding is the next big business risk

A new breed of insurers, risk analysts and designers is aiming to help businesses and homeowners prepare for rising sea levels

As climate change risks go, rising sea levels fail to sound the same alarm bells as dramatic weather events and melting ice caps. Yet their long-term effects are among the most alarming. Flooded cities, submerged coastal areas, mass migrations.

According to recent research, the world's oceans rose by 14cm last century. If we're lucky, that number will merely double during the course of this century. If we're not, an almost tenfold increase could be in store.