Marlborough puts climate change front and centre
Climate change is to be at the forefront of all council decision-making in Marlborough, as the council keeps one eye on the Government's Zero Carbon Act, expected next year. The Marlborough District Council has backed an integrated work programme which will look at how rising temperatures, more intense storms and a sea level rise could affect the region, then factor it into decision-making. A report released by the Ministry for the Environment in September said while greenhouse gas reduction could slow the rate of change, climate change could not be entirely prevented. Climate Karanga Marlborough member Budyong Hill said the group thought the council's new commitment was a "great step forward". READ MORE: * Shell foresaw climate change three decades ago, documents show * Marlborough Climate Karanga reminds council of climate change promises * Marlborough climate change lobby group puts questions to council candidates "We've been pushing them for quite some time to do smaller things that won't cost arm or leg, but will still send signals to the community that they do take it [climate change] seriously," Hill said. "To their credit, they do, and we've met a lot of them and by far a lot of them take it very seriously. It's just that the processes are slow and we have to accept that." Council solicitor Kaye McIlveney proposed the programme in a report at the council's planning and finance committee last week. "The risks of not adopting this programme are that climate change is not adequately incorporated into council's work, resulting in unacceptable risk or missed opportunities for our communities and for council," her report said. "The advantages of developing an integrated work programme are that councillors and our communities can be assured that climate change is appropriately being considered in planning and decision-making." Following the adoption of the programme, the council would arrange meetings with council sectors "most affected" by climate change as determined in the long-term plan, McIlveney said. These included flood risk management, coastal hazard management, and drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, the report said. Other areas that would be less affected included land transportation, solid waste management, harbours, emergency management, land use and development, building control, and environmental health. Each affected group was required to pinpoint how climate change would affect their activities. This information would then be used to aid future decisions at the council, McIlveney said. A ministry webpage predicts the Marlborough region could see a rise in temperature of up to 3 degrees Celsius by 2090 when compared to temperatures from 1995. It said warmer temperatures could increase the spread of pests in the region and lead to more frequent droughts. But climate change could also prompt a longer growing season thanks to warmer weather conditions, which could allow for new crop opportunities, better crop growing conditions and faster crop growth, it said. The report said the programme would focus on adapting to the effects of climate change, which was expected to require "significant investment", particularly in infrastructure upgrades. But Hill said the council needed to do more to reduce the region's greenhouse gas emissions, especially with the government's proposed Zero Carbon Act expected to land in April. The Act sets out a strategy for the government's 2050 net zero emissions target and could see greenhouse gas emission targets set into law. New Zealand had the highest greenhouse gas emissions per capita in the developed world, with agriculture responsible for about half. "There's no point just adapting, especially with the Carbon Zero Act coming up, which is where they're heading," Hill said. "The feedback we got [from the council] was that they understand that, but the local bodies move slowly. "I think, to get them due credit, they and a lot of other councils are waiting for a bit more direction from the Carbon Zero Act. They're taking it seriously." A Local Government New Zealand spokesman said although climate change was a global issue, it was at the local level where the impacts of climate change were most felt. "Councils are responsible for ensuring the well-being, safety, viability and prosperity of their communities ... which is why it's important to have plans in place to address climate change," he said. "Communities are increasingly looking to their councils to address climate change, particularly given the current lack of any central government-led plan to address climate change [or have a] national level adaptation plan. "Climate change adaptation is by definition local, and councils are at the frontline of that adaptation." The Marlborough Express