Otago Regional Council (ORC) chair Andrew Noone says a report on climate change released on Thursday (October 15) is a “sobering reminder” that the issue is no longer just a distant threat.

The Ministry of Environment’s ‘Our atmosphere and climate 2020’ report highlights the impact climate change is already having on New Zealand, including on temperatures and weather events, biodiversity, and natural hazard risks.

“The evidence is clear: we are already feeling the impacts of climate change from greenhouse gases, and many of these impacts are likely to worsen in the decades ahead,” Andrew said.

The council’s work on understanding and responding to climate change impacts has been fast-tracked in recent years, he said.

“The Climate Change Risk Assessment for Otago is currently near completion. This is a wide-ranging assessment which is helping us to understand potential changes to the climate and related risks for the region. 

“Using that knowledge, we’ll work with councils, communities, iwi, experts and appropriate government agencies to plan for climate change,” Andrew said. 

There are other initiatives underway at the ORC, including updating infrastructure to prepare for more floods and higher sea levels. Learn more here.

The Ministry of Education’s report paints a stark picture. It states: “The disturbance of climate change is not like the economic shocks or changes to our way of life that we may have experienced in the past. Even with no more carbon dioxide emissions, we will not go back to an undisturbed climate or even the climate we grew up with.”

The release date of the report coincides with a Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) meeting where priorities and progress on the council’s Climate Action Plan (CAP) were shared. 

QLDC declared a climate and ecological emergency in June last year, the same day the draft CAP was released for public submissions. The final CAP was approved in March this year, with a goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 across the whole district.

Since then, council has established an independent, multidisciplinary Climate Reference Group (CRG); created a system to monitor and evaluate QLDC’s emissions; and started measuring the district’s greenhouse gas emissions and forming an emissions reduction masterplan with science-based targets.

“The highest priority will be finalising the emissions reduction masterplan and sequestration plan, and agreeing a target pathway to net zero emissions,” a QLDC report said.

At the current rate, global average temperature is likely to be 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial level in the next 10 to 30 years, according to the Ministry for Environment report.

Read read the full report here.