Whanganui council to tackle climate change impact on district
Flooding is expected to be more frequent and severe as climate change impacts Whanganui. A plan to deal with the impact and causes of climate change, including severe flooding, will be developed by the Whanganui District Council. The strategy will likely cover all council activities and include securing water infrastructure, pushing development away from flood-prone areas and the reduction of carbon emissions. Eight submitters to the council's long term plan earlier this year urged it to prepare for the impacts climate change, including Horizons Regional Council, which said it was an area the two councils needed to work on collaboratively. Submitter Jock Lee said council's long term plan was "almost entirely devoid of any meaningful consideration of impacts arising form climate change". "The known dynamics of climate change are likely to result in increases in severe flooding events affecting Whanganui city," he said. In response, a report to council's strategy and finance committee by senior policy planner Hester den Ouden said climate change was a reality and the consequences were "of high importance" and the committee voted 7-3 on Tuesday to develop a council-led strategy. Chairwoman Kate Joblin said ensuring the community was as resilient as possible was a key issue facing council. "This work needs to be continuing on a slow boil using the growing knowledge and resources available," she said. "I am very pleased that we have this issue firmly on our radars." The Whanganui area is expected to become wetter and more prone to coastal inundation and erosion as climate changes in the coming decades. "Parts of our district are already susceptible to flooding events and these will increase in frequency and severity over time," Den Ouden's report said. The strategy will cover the cost and ways council can take "to demonstrate its commitment to addressing climate change". But Den Ouden's said steps "must however, be factored into the fiscal obligations that every council must meet". Helen Craig was one of three councillors, along with Graeme Young and Murray Cleveland to vote against developing the climate change strategy. "In principle I think council needs to understand and be prepared for climate change," Craig said. But she thought council did not fully understand the cost or what it planned to do enough to proceed with developing a strategy. She also felt such issues were better addressed at a national level. The report said the appointment of a climate change officer could be considered. Elected members are busy in and out of chambers.