A South Dunedin community group says the area is a victim of ''professional and political point-scoring'' over climate change.
The Greater South Dunedin Community Group this week responded to University of Otago Prof Jim Flynn's claims last week South Dunedin could be uninhabitable in 17 years.
The group also said Mayor Dave Cull's comments on the issue were ''socially irresponsible'' and asked for an apology.
That was not forthcoming yesterday.
Instead, Mr Cull said there was ''much uncertainty'' about the rate of sea-level rise, and the matter was an issue on which the Dunedin City Council and the Otago Regional Council were working together.
He also said the wellbeing of South Dunedin residents, businesses and property owners ''is my absolute top priority as we carry out this work''.
Last week, Prof Flynn told a Dunedin City Council public forum huge erosion of polar ice that had begun in 2014 meant predictions on the rate of climate change had changed.
He said by 2090, South Dunedin would be under 5m of water, along with Forsyth Barr Stadium, the Otago Polytechnic and other low-lying areas.
Those predictions were disputed later in the week by other Otago academics.
Greater South Dunedin Community Group chairman Ray Macleod said the issue of South Dunedin and climate change ''continues to unfold in an almost dramatic but sadly destructive manner, while the people who live and work in the area stand by as spectators and victims of continued professional and political point-scoring''.
The group had met to discuss recent debate on the issue, and concluded there was ''little of value'' in what Prof Flynn said.
Mr Cull's response, which included he had ''enormous respect'' for Prof Flynn's intellect and the care with which he investigated, had made matters even worse.
Mr Macleod said Mr Cull needed to apologise for the ''financial and emotional harm he has inflicted upon the community due to his hasty and poorly considered comments''.
Mr Cull responded yesterday there was much uncertainty about how rapidly sea level would rise and how the city should respond.
''What is certain now, however, is that the sea is rising ever more rapidly, and will continue to rise for many years to come.''
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment had said of all the urban communities in New Zealand, Dunedin faced the biggest and most extensive challenges from sea-level rise.
''We therefore owe it to the community to start planning now so we can respond to the changes in a co-ordinated and considered way with them.
''Council's long-term aim is that no Dunedin citizen, ratepayer or householder is seriously disadvantaged as a result of any measures taken to deal with the challenges of groundwater and rising sea levels.''
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Dave Cull says that: "What is certain now, however, is that the sea is rising ever more rapidly". Mayor Cull, Prof Flynn and DCC staff have made the mistake of confusing creative marketing slogans with scientific measurements. The actual measurements show that global sea level rize has been slow and that there is no sign of any acceleration (ref). There is therefore no discernable influence of human activities on sea level. Global sea level has been slowly rizing for the last 12,000 years. This rizing and falling is a natural cycle.
The local Global Warming zealots are wrong to try to scare us with their fake global sea-level figures when we know the exact figure measured right here at Dunedin (Port Chalmers). The rate of Dunedin sea-level rize is 1.3mm per year which is a lot less than Prof Flynn's figure of 3.4mm per year and his hyper-exaggerated prediction of 68.5mm per year. Because there is no acceleration, Dunedin's future sea level rize will continue to be 1.3mm per year. This figure is from Hannah & Bell and Statistics New Zealand.
ref: peer reviewed paper: "Auckland: A Case Study in the Regional Assessment of Long-Term Sea Level Change", Hannah, Bell, Paulik