A sign held by a student taking part in a strike for climate change action in Tauranga's CBD in 2019. Shortly afterwards, BOPRC announced a climate change emergency. Photo / NZME
A sign held by a student taking part in a strike for climate change action in Tauranga's CBD in 2019. Shortly afterwards, BOPRC announced a climate change emergency. Photo / NZME
Expected impacts of climate change on the Bay of Plenty's weather have been revealed and $700,000 has been approved to help a regional council's efforts to address it, "albeit 30 years too late".
The move comes more than two years after the Bay of Plenty Regional Council declared a climateemergency amid increasing pressure for greater action from authorities.
The regional council Strategy and Policy Committee met on Wednesday to review and approve a revised Climate Change Action Plan for 2021 to 2023, which includes funding of $350,000 per annum.
The plan stated action was needed to reduce greenhouse gases and also to respond to the impact of climate change that was already being seen.
It consists of 19 projects including a staff travel plan; an electric vehicle charging infrastructure study; Carless Wednesday Challenge; and creating maps highlighting climate change impacts on the region.
Council data showed Bay of Plenty's number of frost days (temperatures less than 0C) were expected to reduce from seven per year to five in 2040 and two in 2090.
The number of days per year reaching more than 25C was expected to increase from 32 to 52 by 2040 and to 99 in 2090.
Bay of Plenty Regional councillor Stacey Rose says he is grateful for a Climate Change Action Plan but more people need to be aware of the issue. Photo / NZME
The data also showed the annual likelihood of an extreme rainfall event would become one and a half times greater by 2040 and three times greater by 2090.
On Thursday, Niwa revealed New Zealand has experienced its warmest June and July period since records began in 1909, 1.15C above average. Climate change was considered a contributing factor, with warmer temperatures resulting in more rain.
Niwa meteorologist Ben Noll said: "Of the seven warmest June and Julys, six have occurred since 2000."
At the meeting, councillor Bill Clark applauded the action plan as an "aspirational document, albeit 30 years too late".
Clark referred to last month's flooding of the Buller River in the South Island, which was the "biggest single water event in New Zealand". He said he wanted context as to what the implications could be for the Bay of Plenty should the region experience a similar water event.
"If we are ever hit in an event of that quantum in one part of our rohe, what would the impact of that be?"
Councillor Jane Nees said she was concerned about a lack of community engagement regarding the action plan, which was considered as already having been done through the Long-term Plan.
"We have an objective to community awareness [regarding] transformative shift ... that doesn't happen in a vacuum," Nees said.
Councillor Stacey Rose said: "I have to agree with councillor Clark, it's 30 years too late but we can't change that."
Rose also supported Nees' concerns about a lack of community engagement "when one of our key goals is making sure our community is aware of climate change".
Sustainable Bay of Plenty director Glen Crowther says he'd like to see more buy-in from other councils in response to climate change. Photo / NZME
"Yes, youth know about it but others don't. There are some people who need to know. It needs to be recognised," Rose said.
In a report presented to the committee, council climate change senior planner Jane Palmer said the council had already become a Toitu CarbonReduce certified organisation; considered climate change implications in all agendas; established a work programme on climate change response; and had been "progressing regional climate change adaptation understanding".
After the meeting, Sustainable Bay of Plenty's Glen Crowther said the action plan was a "great start" but he'd prefer to see more urgency behind some of the goals.
Crowther referred to the regional council's goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050 "whereas, if it's 2030 it gives you less than 10 years so you think 'we've got to do something right now".
Crowther said the regional council's efforts were admirable and covered changes it could make to itself, to public transport and to the stakeholders it worked with. He said he would like to see buy-in from other local councils to give greater weight to the regional council's response to climate change.
Committee chairwoman Paula Thompson told NZME the 2050 date was chosen as an organisational target to be consistent with the national target.
"However, we agree that there should be a clear understanding in the public of the urgency and importance of taking action now," she said.
School students in Rotorua protested in 2019 for greater action from authorities in response to climate change. Photo / NZME
"The Toi Moana [regional council] Climate Change Action Plan includes a range of actions and timeframes - some are already underway and we'll be moving quickly on many others."
In response to Crowther's call to other councils, a Western Bay of Plenty District Council spokeswoman said it had put aside $200,000 annually for the next three years to analyse and establish which council and community assets were at risk. The council's Climate Change Action Plan, adopted in June, included working individually and in collaboration with other councils.
Tauranga City Council commissioner Stephen Selwood said its recent kerbside collections contributed to lower carbon emissions through reduced truck movements and reduced methane generation.
The council, with SmartGrowth partners, aimed to cut carbon emissions by 50 per cent by 2030 through transport initiatives - an area that received $1.9 billion over 10 years in the recent Long-term Plan, he said.
A Rotorua Lakes Council spokeswoman said addressing climate change was a key priority and it was proud to be "leading the way" to be one of the first councils to adopt a climate action plan in February. An enhanced environment was one of the goals of the Rotorua 2030 Vision.
The action plan will now go to a full council meeting for approval before being published on its website.
