Up to $8000 will be spent on a report finding ways Hawke's Bay can fight climate change locally, as projections of more extreme weather, more often, are forecast for the region.
Hawke's Bay Regional Council ordered the report following a request from outgoing councillor Liz Remmerswaal, who said the council was not taking climate change seriously.
A United Nations report released last week predicted climate change would bring about rising sea levels, more extinction of species and possible food shortages. It also noted, for the first time, human activity was responsible for climate change.
The report backs Ms Remmerswaal's earlier request for a report to find out what the regional council could do itself, or how it could encourage the public and businesses, to mitigate the affects of climate change in local communities. The report would have a particular focus on measures for Hawke's Bay to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.