A new government report confirms poorer, coastal and low-lying riverside communities will not be able to pay to protect themselves from the effects of climate change.
It identifies 44 lower-income communities as vulnerable, without clear plans to deal with sea level rise, and extreme rain events.
The associate local government minister Kieran McAnulty said the government was considering all options, including abandoning the areas.
Climate scientist and flood modeller Dr Judy Lawrence spoke Michael Cropp.