Science DeadlineTemperatures reach extremes
Parts of New Zealand have reached official heatwave status this week.
NIWA said the warmest temperature so far this summer was 38.4C yesterday in Hanmer Forest, with Hamilton and Wellington breaking
maximum temperature records on Tuesday (32.9C and 30.3C respectively).
University of Otago senior lecturer Dr Alex Macmillan urged people to take care as the heat rose, "especially if you’re elderly, pregnant, or already have a medical condition".
"Even short duration heat waves can increase deaths and hospital admissions from heat stroke, heart and lung disease,
placing a heavy burden on families, communities, and the health system," she said.
"While New Zealand’s high temperatures are not like those being seen in Australia, it’s what our bodies are used to and
our buildings are designed for that matters most".
AgResearch senior scientist Dr Karin Schütz said animal welfare was a major concern for farmers during hot summer
months.
"If you want to keep up production, you need to keep your animals cool. That can mean providing shelter (such as trees),
increasing access to drinking water, reducing walking distances, and preventing stress.
"Given a choice, however, we have found the cows will seek shade over the sprinklers, and from our research we know the
cows can tell the difference between different degrees of shade and will choose shade that protects them more from solar
radiation."
Dr Jim Salinger said last year's marine heatwave lasted about five months with temperatures 2C above normal at its peak.
By 2080-2100, such conditions could be the norm for New Zealand summers.
University of Waikato's Professor Iain White told the NZ Heraldthat knowing the future climate will be different - and that buildings have a long lifetime - "the decisions we make now
will help create the future built environment".
He said maladaptive behaviours, like using more energy for air conditioning or staying inside, could make the issue
worse. "The key is to create buildings and environments that can better maintain an acceptable range of temperature and
avoid maladaptive behaviour."
Across the ditch, Australia has been experiencing extreme weather with temperatures over 40C in some places, making it the hottest month in more than 100 years of records.
But while Australasia breaks records for warm weather, in the North, parts of the United States have been breaking
records for the lowest temperatures, driven by a polar vortex, with some Midwest areas getting below -30C. At least
seven deaths have been linked to the extreme cold weather.
The SMC gathered expert reaction to the heatwave.
Quoted: NZ Herald
"We need an older John Kirwan, another great All Black, an older well-respected person to raise awareness, to come out
and say it's okay to talk to your GP about your emotions."
University of Auckland psychiatrist Dr Gary Cheung
Local govt's climate warning
Local Government New Zealand has warned that as much as $14 billion of infrastructure is at risk from sea level rise.
In a report released on Thursday, LGNZ noted that many councils were already experiencing the impact of sea level rise, "most notably in Bay of Plenty,
the West Coast, South Dunedin and Hawke's Bay".
The analysis by Tonkin & Taylor suggested at 1 metre of sea level rise, $5.1 billion of local government infrastructure was at risk, with the
value rising sharply at each increment of sea level rise, up to $14.1 billion at 3m.
Among the report's key recommendations was the suggestion that central and local government jointly establish a National
Climate Change Adaptation Fund to share the costs of adaptation equally.
LGNZ President Dave Cull said New Zealand, "cannot continue to respond to climate change-related events on a piecemeal
basis".
"We need to put a robust policy framework in place to ensure we minimise the disruption and harm to communities, and we
only have a relatively narrow timeframe in which to do it before the scenarios in our report become a reality."
The report came at a time the West Coast Regional Council was in the media spotlight for being the only council to refuse support for the Government's Zero Carbon Bill.
In its submission, the council said the Bill's proposals would impact the region, particularly due to its reliance on dairy farming and
coal extraction, lack of public transport and limited ability to plant more exotic forest.
It also claimed "the evidence proving anthropogenic climate change must be presented and proven beyond reasonable
doubt."
University of Canterbury political scientist Associate Professor Bronwyn Hayward told Radio NZ New Zealand needed to understand what was hurting smaller communities.
"It's thinking about how these communities can be really supported in innovative ways, rather than just writing it off
as a kind of redneck response.
"It's really important that we think carefully about this because we don't want to end up like America or France with
these complete cultural divisions between communities."
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Policy news & developments
Beetle to tackle weed: The EPA is considering an application to introduce a root-feeding beetle to control the weed moth plant.
Blue cod regulations: Consultation is open on proposed changes to blue cod regulations, including a 'traffic light' system for recreational
daily bag limits in the South Island based on the health of cod populations.
Water Conservation Order: Stage two of the hearing for the Water Conservation Order (WCO) for the Ngaruroro and Clive Rivers is scheduled to
start on February 26 in Napier.
Accessible buildings: MBIE has released a guide to designing accessible public buildings.
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