Climate change in Canterbury: are the government's plans a silver bullet or a pipe dream?
The Climate Change Commission recommends major changes to how Kiwis travel, heat their homes and do business. But questions remain over whether it will help solve Canterbury's big environmental issues. Amber Allott investigates what the changes could mean for the region. The Government is mulling over a new set of environmental recommendations promising lower power bills, quieter streets, new swathes of native bush, and cleaner water and air for the country. But experts warn they wont be the silver bullet for all of Canterburys air and water quality woes, and there are doubts about whether the infrastructure is in place yet to support them. The Climate Change Commission unveiled its long-awaited plan last Sunday for making the country carbon neutral, which recommends sweeping changes to how Kiwis heat their homes and fuel their cars. By 2032, houses would no longer be built with gas connections, and the aim will be to have 40 per cent of the nations private vehicle fleet fully electric, with petrol car imports to end by 2035. READ MORE: * Climate change report: Gasfitters fear for their businesses while consumers rethink installations * Doubling public transport and cycling trips isn't enough to cut carbon, activists warn * Shaw: Farmers can cut herds and still make a profit The Government has announced councils will no longer be allowed to buy fossil-fuel buses from 2025, but the commission also wants more trips on foot, and cycling and public transport use to double. In agriculture, the commission wants New Zealands overall herd size reduced by 15 per cent over the next 15 years, and coal would die a quick death, with a ban on new coal boilers almost immediately, and a steep phase-out of existing ones. Dr Tim Davie, science director at Environment Canterbury, said if implemented in full, the recommendations would have an impact on everyone in the region. Its about our homes, our transport, the way we use it, the type of farming we do. Its not just one sector that will have to change. But he said the proposals would likely only herald minor improvements to the regions air and water. Davie said Christchurchs air is already a lot less polluted than 20 years ago, thanks to bans on coal and open fires in the city. But Timaru and some of our smaller towns do have air quality issues. Christchurchs three monitoring sites logged a total of 17 days last year when air pollution levels were higher than the National Environmental Standard for Air Quality. Rangiora and Kaiapoi had seven between them, and Timarus two sites recorded 26. There are emissions from transport, trucks and buses, so there would be improvements in the vicinity of busy roads like Blenheim Rd, Davie said. But the majority of emissions were from home heating, rather than traffic. You need warm homes ... If we had better insulated homes, then thatd reduce that need overall. Gas connections in new-build homes are relatively popular. From 2015 to 2020, 40 per cent of the 10,854 new homes Christchurch City Council consented had some type of gas connection. For commercial buildings, 19 per cent of the 1357 new builds over the same period were hooked up. The councils building consent head Robert Wright said reticulated, or underground, gas piping is only available in limited areas of Christchurch, and most homes use bottled gas. [Reticulated gas] is common in the North Island where natural gas is extracted from the ground and an underground network has been established from these gas fields. Gas has to be shipped to the South Island in large holding tanks. Some subdivisions have installed reticulated gas but these are supplied from tanks located within the subdivision which are refilled by tankers. Davie said there are alternatives for home-heating. Youll still be able to use a wood burner, which is considered renewable, and also [heat pumps] which are electric. In terms of water pollution, Davie said de-stocking the Canterbury Plains numerous farms will not stop nitrates getting into the waterways. Its more to do with farming intensity than the type of farming. If everyone converted to veganism, wed require a lot more arable and crop farming. Crops will also involve nitrates leaking, and thats one of our biggest issues. In urban areas, farm run-off is not to blame for dirty rivers, like Christchurchs heavily polluted Avon and Heathcote rivers, both in the worst 25 per cent nationally. Roads and people driving on them are an issue, and not the combustion engines. Its the [residue from] brakes and tyres. Electric cars have those too. He said the infrastructure for switching to electric vehicles (EVs) is also quite lacking in the South Island, including charging stations. At the moment, if you try to drive to Invercargill in an electric car, youd probably have to stop at someones house. NZ Transport Agency environmental and sustainability manager Lisa Rossiter said in recent years there has been a steady uptake in the amount of EVs registered, with Canterbury making up about 15 per cent of registrations in the country. Good progress is also being made in public charging facilities, she said. In the last year, 24 public charging stations have been added to the Canterbury network with 95 now available. Within Christchurch city alone, the number of charging stations expanded from 41 to 50. However, many people will be able to charge their EVs at home for most local journeys. Rossiter said while there have been barriers to people wanting to get into the market, such as limited travel range, higher purchase prices and limited selection, that is starting to change. We expect that as new policies are introduced, EVs will become even more accessible for people and the public charging network will grow to meet demand. Fewer petrol cars could also mean a windfall for Cantabrians household budgets. In 2020 the average Kiwi driver with a small car spent $1786 on petrol over the year, AA PetrolWatch spokesman Mark Stockdale said. Compact car drivers spent an average of $2033, medium car drivers spent $2705, and large car drivers spent $3163. These costs are lower than in 2019 ... due to reduced global demand following the pandemic, which suppressed oil and fuel prices, Stockdale said. But these costs would be a bit higher for motorists who purchase premium grade fuel, which usually costs 12 cents per litre more. Christchurch residents likely left the pump with a little more left in their pockets, he said. There is quite a lot of price competition in the city due to the expansion of low-cost no-frills brands like NPD and the entrance of Waitomo and Gull, which means motorists shopping around will have been able to spend less on fuel. According to sustainability lobby group Drive Electric, someone travelling an average of 12,500 kilometres a year in an electric car would pay about $500 in charging costs. Some power companies, like Meridian, have an electric car plan available. On the plan, a 2015 Nissan Leaf driven 11,500km per year would only set its owner back about $300. At the end of the day, Davie said the proposals are not targeted at budgets, air or water quality, but at slashing emissions. If we were to limit the level of climate change, thatd be huge for Canterbury. It could mean less floods, and less sea level rise. Were a low-lying region, and thats a real issue here. Davie said while the commissions recommendations remain just that for now, what comes of them will no doubt mean big changes for how the people of Canterbury live their lives. But weve been through big changes before. When the motor car first came in, we didnt change from horses and carts overnight. We needed petrol stations and roads put in. The same investment in infrastructure will be needed for this transition, he said. The Government will need to start planning for the future with this is mind.