Among the researchers examining the effect of climate change on coastal communities is CSIRO's Kathleen McInnes.

Dr McInnes began work looking at climate impacts 20 years ago.

Specifically she has been researching the effect of storm surges on coastal communities.

Dr McInnes, who is also working with the Department of Sustainability and Environment on a "future coasts'' project, will be one of four guest speakers at a forum on climate change to be held in Ballarat next month.

"The DSE work tries to look at property boundaries that are going to be affected under different sea level rise scenarios,'' Dr McInnes said.

Low-lying parts of Melbourne include Werribee to the city's west and eastern suburbs including St Kilda, Elwood and Aspendale.

Ms McInnes said levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide _ an important greenhouse gas _ had been stable for about 6000 years before increasing dramatically over the past 200 years.

She said with sea levels stable for so long, building on low-lying coastlines had not been seen as a problem until recently.

She said sceptics of anthropogenic climate change often focused on a small detail and overlooked the big picture.

She said although carbon dioxide levels may have been higher millions of years ago, never before had the increase in concentration been so rapid.

"We know that greenhouse gases oscillate at glacial time-scales but nothing like the current rate of change,'' she said.

"Sure, they might have been higher but big deal. They have not been this high for 700,000 years. We have six billion people on Earth, many in coastal zones vulnerable to sea-level change."

Dr McInnes said there was evidence that linked the burning of fossil fuels to a rise in atmospheric greenhouse gases.

The Ballarat Climate Change Forum is to be held on August 8.

The forum, at the Wendouree Centre for Performing Arts from 12.45pm to 5.30pm, will be hosted by Ballarat Renewable Energy and Zero Emissions group, the University of Ballarat and The Courier.

For tickets and reservations phone 5338 0980. Admission is $15 for adults or $10 for students and concession card holders.