Climate change will affect New Zealand in multiple ways and the country needs to start taking it seriously, says one expert.
In an article in Newshub, Former US State Legislator Sue Minter claims people have to realise that climate change is real.
“[I]t is here and obviously New Zealand is under threat whether you look at coastal erosion, sea level rise or storm surge,” Minter told The AM Show. “These are just some of the very serious hazards that, because of your geography, you really have to face.”
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The publication reported that Minter will speak at the New Zealand Planning Institute’s (NZPI) annual conference. She will share her experience leading the response in her home state of Vermont to Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, which caused extensive flooding and cost an estimated US$175 million-$200 million dollars in damage.
“This transformed our state, our people, our communities and helped us understand that we need to think differently,” she added. “I ran the transportation agency. We’re beginning to think differently about how we construct our bridges, our culverts, where we put our roads, how we understand the interaction of nature.”
Meanwhile, Minister for Climate Change James Shaw said the NZPI conference is just one part of the beginning of a response to the threats posed by climate change.
“Now is the time to begin those very difficult conversations and that’s exactly what planners are trying to do,” the minister told Newshub.
