Coastal hazards committee welcomes national climate change feedback

Peter Beaven signs the final coastal hazards report with Napier mayor Bill Dalton (left), Kaitiaki o te Roopu's Aramanu Ropiha, Hastings councillor Tania Kerr and HBRC chair Rex Graham. Photo / Supplied

A joint Hawke's Bay council committee tasked with putting together the Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy 2120 has welcomed a new national report on climate change, which affirms the work being done locally, but also shows more needs to be done.

The Adapting to Climate Change in New Zealand report was released this week by the Climate Change Adaptation Technical Working Group, formed in November 2016 to advise the Government on options for tackling climate change.

Following an initial stocktake on the expected impact of climate change that was published in December last year, the final report this week gave options for central Government consideration.

The report noted that the global climate had already changed as a result of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities and would continue to do so.

"New Zealand will experience increased frequency and intensity of extreme events such as higher temperatures, flooding, droughts and wildfires, and slowly emerging changes such as ongoing sea-level rise, warmer and more acidic oceans, and new pests threatening our natural environment," the report said.

"There will be losses and damages. Opportunities will also arise for new and innovative ways to adapt. We need to act now to address the ongoing changes to our climate."

Coastal Hazards joint committee chair Peter Beaven said the report at last demonstrated a commitment on the part of central Government to take a lead role on this critical issue.

"As the report states, many local authorities such as Hawke's Bay have already taken a proactive stance and begun work, such as the Coastal Hazards study commissioned by three of our local bodies here in response to sea-level rise.

"However, the report is far more wide-reaching than just coastal hazards in considering the impact of global warming," Beaven said.

"There will be impacts on biosecurity, infrastructure, insurance availability, frequency and severity of floods to name just a few."

He said every local authority should have the effects of global warming front and centre of its thinking, not only in terms of adjusting to climate change with structures such as higher stop banks and mitigation measures, but also minimising global warming through activities such as afforestation, electrical vehicle uptake and use of alternative energy.

"It's obvious we can't do this by ourselves. It needs the active support and co-operation of both central Government and the wider community," Beaven said.

Local Government New Zealand also welcomed the report, which president Dave Cull said picked up on what local government had been calling for, particularly a national adaptation plan, engagement with communities on the effects of climate change and discussions around adaptation funding.

"We now need to take these recommendations further and with the Government work through the options and how to implement them in order to make real progress that will build the resilience of our communities."

There were still sensitive questions that central and local Government must collectively discuss with businesses and communities, Cull added.

"We need to have conversations about sensitive issues that we must address if our communities are to be resilient, such as how to manage the relocation of communities shown to be at risk in a national risk assessment, and whether existing insurance models are sufficient."

"We are looking forward to working with the Government on addressing the adaptation challenge.

"Real and urgent action now is critical – we can't rest on our laurels any longer."