Government appoints National Climate Change Risk Assessment panel

The government has appointed an expert panel to create the framework for New Zealand’s first National Climate Change Risk Assessment (NCCRA).

Minister for Climate Change James Shaw welcomed the appointment by the Ministry for the Environment, adding the NCCRA will provide a national overview of the impact of climate change to New Zealand.

“We need to be assessing now what the future risks of climate change will be, and where and how New Zealand needs to adapt,” Shaw said. “We also need to be able to anticipate what our most challenging issues are likely to be. The NCCRA will inform and help prioritise effective adaptation action.”

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The minister said the nine members of the NCCRA expert panel come from a range of backgrounds, including research, engineering, and the public sector. The initial step for the panel is to create a risk assessment framework by the end of June, with the first risk assessment expected to be completed by the middle of next year. It will be chaired by Dr Anne Bardsley.

“New Zealand faces a broad range of climate-related impacts. We’re already starting to see some now,” Shaw said. “Coastal Hazards and Climate Change guidance for local government drew on 2015 work by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment which warned building replacement costs from climate change in New Zealand could total $19 billion.

“So, starting this risk assessment is an important step towards building a more resilient New Zealand,” he added.