Hawke's Bay Regional Council chief executive James Palmer says a recent climate report is of "real importance" to the people of Hawke's Bay. Photo / File
Hawke's Bay Regional Council chief executive James Palmer says a recent climate report is of "real importance" to the people of Hawke's Bay. Photo / File
Average temperatures are projected to rise by up to three degrees Celsius in the next 70 years in Hawke's Bay, according to a new report by Hawke's Bay Regional Council.
Wildfires, worsening droughts, crops damage and increased pests and disease are expected in Hawke's Bay by 2090, if effective action isn't taken on fighting climate change.
HBRC chair Rex Graham said the report was an intimidating preview of what Hawke's Bay could become.
"This is a scary report that shows how quickly the climate crisis is coming at us," he said.
"We must do more to make our region more climate resilient, and decrease our greenhouse gas emissions."
The report, "Climate Change Projections and Impacts for Tairāwhiti and Hawke's Bay", outlines the future with a worst-case scenario, but also what our region will look like if the world does take effective action.
Average temperatures are projected to increase by 0.5C and 1C by 2040, while annual rainfall is forecast to drop by up to 5 per cent by 2040 and by up to 15 per cent by 2090.
Council chief executive James Palmer said the report was of "real importance" to the people of Hawke's Bay.
"It shows in detail how our region's people, businesses, agriculture and infrastructure will be impacted," he said.
"It underlines that we have a short window of time to act, and we must act now."
Palmer added: "The foundation of our regional prosperity and wellbeing of our region is the stability of our climate – it's arguably our greatest and most precious asset."
An image from the report shows a 1m sea level rise, 1-in-100-year storm tide potentially inundating 960ha of agricultural land, 180km of roads, 20,000 buildings and 23,410 people. Photo / Supplied
The consequences of an increase in temperature and lack of rain fall will mean the region will endure more droughts, and agricultural production is likely to decline. So too will the health of the region's rivers, which will have an impact on drinking water supplies.
Under an extreme worst-case scenario, the coast will be affected by sea level rise of up to 0.4m in 40 years and coastal erosion will worsen.
Palmer said the rise in temperatures would have an impact on the primary sector through a growth in pests and diseases, harming Hawke's Bay's productivity.
"The few opportunities the report highlights – increased pasture and plant productivity of select plants, less frost damage, and longer summers for tourists – are heavily outweighed by the serious consequences we're looking at," he said.
Graham said the report was a reminder that it was everyone's job to fight for a better climate.
"We need to tackle this head on as a region and come together as a community," he said.
"We need to do so much more as a region to achieve the transformational change required to reduce our environmental footprint and live more sustainably," Graham said.
