New report a hurry up for climate change policy makers

LGNZ says a new report from the Deep South National Science Challenge is a reminder for central government policymakers to step up the pace on progressing a national strategy on climate change adaption.

‘Centring Culture in Public Engagement on Climate Change Adaptation: Re-shaping the Future of the NZ Tourism Sector,’ finds that there is central strategy void where a joined-up approach to dealing with climate threats should be.“LGNZ agrees with the report that our tourism industry is particularly susceptible to climate-related severe weather impacts, as is local government infrastructure, which is the backbone of the industry,” says LGNZ President Dave Cull.Based on comprehensive surveying data, LGNZ’s 2019 ‘Vulnerable’ report found that $14 billion in local government infrastructure was at risk from sea-level rise, exacerbated by climate change.Dave Cull says We are limited in what we can do to control climate change, but there’s a lot more we can do around how we react to it. That’s why LGNZ supports the recommendations of this report, for both the tourism industry and policymakers, to start planning for change now.”