Donald Trump's prized real estate to be swallowed by rising sea levels

Donald Trump may not be a “great believer” in climate change but that won’t stop rising sea levels from swallowing up his prime real estate in Florida.

The presumptive Republican nominee, who has previously dismissed climate change as a hoax, could find his private Mar-a-Lago Club under at least 30cm of water in 30 years’ time.

A Coastal Risk Consulting analysis commissioned by The Guardian found that tidal flooding along the intracoastal waterway could leave Mr Trump’s Palm Beach estate under water for 210 days a year.

While parts of the estate are already at high risk of flooding under heavy rains and storms, the analysis found that a category two storm would be capable of sending water crashing over the main pool and up to the main building by 2045.

While the historic mansion will not go under water, the club is “going to have more and more issues with health and safety, access and infrastructure”, chief scientist Keren Bolter said.

With projections from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicting that sea levels in south Florida will rise up to 205cm by 2100, the future is equally bleak for Mr Trump’s other properties.

The analysis suggests that the lower-lying Trump Hollywood condos south of Mar-a-Lago could be turned into islands for up to 140 days a year by 2045 and be cut off from the low-lying A1A coastal road because of tidal flooding and storm surges.

Trump Grande in Sunny Isles could also be cut off from the A1A road for 97 days a year and the beach could be ruined by erosion.

While Mr Trump has described climate change as “bullshit”, despite actively backing action on it in 2009, leaders and realtors in Florida believe rising sea levels are a real cause for concern.

Donald Trump has called the Mar-A-Lago Club the crown jewel of Palm Beach. Photo: Mar-A-Lago Club.

Mayors and elected officials are already working on strategies to protect towns from rising sea levels, while a recent Miami Herald survey found that two-thirds of high-end Miami realtors are concerned that climate change could hurt property values.

About $US400 million is being spent on raising roads and installing pumps to drain streets that experience regularly flooding at high tide and prevent salt water from contaminating fresh-water storage inland, The Guardian reports.

While in Hollywood, developments including Trump-branded buildings are reportedly being constructed on top of steeply graded driveways, above the flood zone.

Across the Atlantic Ocean, a Trump-owned golf resort in Ireland is looking to build a sea wall.

Trump International Golf Links Ireland has submitted a permit to build a sea wall, which cites rising sea levels from climate change as a threat.

While this causes confusion about Mr Trump’s stance on global warming, it suggests that even he is concerned about how climate change will affect his properties.