We are contributing to climate change, and we must do better
Dr Siouxsie Wiles is a microbiologist and associate professor at the University of Auckland OPINION: Last week saw the release of the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Synthesis Report . This is the short version of the panels sixth assessment report of the impact we humans are having on the climate. It details how climate change is affecting us now . It also shows the likely future scenarios, depending on how we act now. The irony isnt lost on me that Im reading this report while waiting for someone to assess the damage done to my home by the Auckland floods and Cyclone Gabrielle . I live partway up a very steep hill, so I must admit I didnt have being flooded on my personal climate change bingo card. READ MORE: * Bumpy process for big climate report revealed in meeting notes * The world has its best chance yet to slash emissions if it seizes the opportunity * 'It's our collective responsibility' Pacific researchers urge world leaders to help the islands fight climate change * Why August 9 is a huge day for climate action But thats the thing about climate change. Its making extreme weather events like several months worth of rain falling in a few hours more likely. And when they do happen, theyre even more extreme. What we are experiencing now is a result of global surface temperatures rising just over 1 degree Celsius above what they were 150 years ago. With an election coming up, its crucial we all engage with the IPCC Synthesis Report. The people who form our next government will have some difficult decisions to make if they are going to seriously tackle New Zealands contribution to climate change. Because we are contributing. In fact, we are currently one of the largest emitters per capita in the OECD . And to put it bluntly, right now we arent pulling our weight when it comes to reducing the future impacts of climate change. To make our next vote count, we need to understand whats at stake. Which is where the IPCC report comes in. You dont even need to read the report, its all captured in just seven figures easily accessible on the IPCC website. The first figure shows the changes in global surface temperatures since 1900 and the impacts thats having. Like flash flooding. It also shows how temperatures will change out to 2100 when the children born today will be in their seventies. Another figure shows how much hotter our hottest days will get and how much wetter our wettest days will get. But perhaps the most important figure is the final one, which shows the solutions available to us right now, along with how feasible they are and their likely costs. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, New Zealand did something bold and unexpected we followed an elimination strategy . If you had asked me in 2019 whether I could imagine us ever shutting our borders and staying home to stop a virus, Id have said no. But we did. We acted together and followed a path that studies show gave us one of the best outcomes in the world. Its time for us to be bold again. And no, Im not talking about us locking down for climate change. Im talking about us acting in our collective best interests and embracing the solutions that already exist. Im talking about us doing what seems impossible. Because it isnt.