September 14, 2017
Climate change help needed
The head of Local Government New Zealand says it’s essential central government support communities to prepare for climate change.
Dave Cull says him own Dunedin Council is looking at what to do about the rising water table in South Dunedin, which was built on a marsh and could be increasingly prone to flooding.
Rising sea levels, changes in water flows and more extreme weather events are also concerning Maori communities who place great store on their relationship with the natural world.
He says the National Government signed up for modest carbon reduction targets under the Paris Climate Accord, but has failed to plan how to meet those targets or move to a low carbon economy.
"Cities around the world, where the most carbon emissions generally tend to come from, are in the forefront of those mitigation efforts. We need to be doing that here. Councils and communities can't do it on their own without help and direction from central government and partnership really," Mr Cull says.
He hopes the next government will listen to the level of concern in the community.
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