Thursday 27 November 2014

Statement from Mayor regarding report on impact of climate change

Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel has welcomed the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment’s report on the impact of climate change on sea levels.

“This is a very timely report as it will help coastal communities prepare for the inescapable rise in sea levels and the expected increased frequency and severity of storm events due to climate change.

“ Christchurch has already felt the impact of damaging coastal flooding largely due to the subsidence of land following theCanterbury earthquakes.

“The impact of the Canterbury earthquake sequence on land levels around our rivers, estuaries and coastline has already increased the risk from flooding. This report is a wake-up call for the rest of the country.

“We need to ensure that the community has the information it needs to adapt and Council’s have the tools to manage land use in the coastal environment.

“However the impact of climate change is not just a local issue, it is a nationwide issue.

“We need the government to lead through the development of national policy guidance on adaptation to climate change.

“There must be a collaborative approach between councils, regional authorities and the Crown to establish a policy and regulatory framework that will provide the level of consistency and rigour required in an area that has the potential to impinge on property rights and which will no doubt be vulnerable to legal challenge.

“Central Government could also assist in providing an economic analysis of the costs and benefits of adapting to climate change – to inform decisions about engineering works or enhancing natural defences to protect communities, where we could adapt to the rising waters, and when to sound the retreat.

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