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Flooding in Otago
Our changing climate poses unique challenges to the Otago region, but it also provides new opportunities.
It is time to focus on building a more resilient Otago that is dedicated to reducing emissions and responding proactively to the impacts of climate change.
The impact of climate change in our region will result in new risks and challenges, but also opportunities. These challenges and opportunities will be widespread, influencing our natural and urban environments, our economy, society and culture.
Our approach to climate change requires us to reduce our emissions and remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere to mitigate the impacts of our changing climate. Additionally, we must adapt to the changes that are already in motion.
Mitigation: this means making changes to decrease the amount of greenhouse gasses we are releasing into the atmosphere.
Adaptation: this means building the resilience of our communities by helping them to be more prepared and reducing exposure to risk from drought, flooding, wildfire, storms, sea level rise and other natural hazards.
Sequestration: this means using nature-based solutions – such as tree planting and wetland restoration – to remove carbon that has already been released into the atmosphere.
What are the risks that Otago will face as a result of climate change? How will climate change impact our people, natural environment, built infrastructures and economy? Read the full report here.
What will Otago's climate look like in the future? To find out what climate factors like temperature and rainfall could be like as far ahead as 2100, read this climate change report.
What are the main risks New Zealand faces as a result of climate change? Find out here.
The National Adaptation Plan (2022) directs government action on climate change adaptation across New Zealand. Otago Regional Council plays a role in successfully completing a number of these actions.
More information on the National Adaption Plan (NAP) is on the Ministery for the Environment website.
The national Emissions Reduction Plan (2022) identifies actions to be taken by all levels of government and sectors of the economy to contribute to global efforts to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Planning for the second emissions reduction plan is currently underway, and the plan is to be published by the end of 2024.
More information on the national Emissions Reduction Plan is available on the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) website.
Many groups within the agriculture, horticulture, and aquaculture sectors have set their own emissions reduction targets and environmental goals.
Beef + Lamb NZ has published an Environment Strategy, which sets the goal of having a carbon neutral sheep and beef sector by 2050.
Dairy NZ and Fonterra have both released environmental and emissions reduction goals. Dairy NZ’s Strategy sets an ambition for farms to have achieved lower emissions and to be on track to meet water quality limits by 2025. Fonterra’s Climate Roadmap sets a goal to be net zero by 2050.
Deer Industry NZ (DINZ) published The Deer Farming Environmental Plan, which calls for on-farm improvement of environmental stewardship activity. Environmental issues of interest include minimising greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change impacts.
Horticulture NZ produced Growing Together 2035, an action plan for the horticulture sector. Improving sustainability and mitigating climate change are key outcomes in this strategy.
NZ Winegrowers has set a target to be carbon neutral by 2050. NZ Winegrowers also supports the Energy Efficiency & Conservation Authority (EECA) Decarbonisation Pathway for Wine.
Aquaculture NZ has developed the sustainable management framework A+, which is a voluntary sustainability programme designed to guide industry toward best practice. (add link) Both mitigation of and adaptation to our changing climate are important for the seafood sector. To help the sector prepare for the impacts of climate change, the Aotearoa Circle has released a Seafood Sector Adaptation Strategy. (add link) The Government has produced an Aquaculture Strategy which is focused on fostering sustainable growth within the sector. (add link)
The New Zealand Institute of Forestry (NZIF) published A Forest Policy for New Zealand, which includes both climate change and biodiversity as areas of interest with suggested actions relating to each. (add link)
Interested in emissions reduction or climate change adaptation for your own farm? The following resources have ideas of where to begin.
MfE’s “Agriculture emissions and climate change” page
“Current actions” page of Ag Matters site
Otago case study on Ag Matters site
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the United Nations' body for assessing the science related to climate change. Every 5 to 7 years, the (IPCC) releases a report on current climate change knowledge. The most recent report (2023) covers the state of knowledge on climate change, impacts of climate change, mitigation, and adaptation.
More information is available on the IPCC website.
Climate affects much of what we do in Otago, from horticulture in Central Otago to land drainage in Clutha delta. Climate change therefore does not function separately to the work that we do; it is a key consideration in all that we do. We want Otago's communities to be aware of climate change and will work with them to adapt to its effects on our region.
The Otago inventory shows where greenhouse gas emissions come from—mainly agriculture, transport, and electricity—and is a crucial starting point for emission reduction efforts.
Climate change is not new to us. We are working to better understand and reduce the impact of climate change, and we share this information with our community and local city and district councils.
We are a signatory of the Local Government Leaders Climate Change Declaration, which highlights an urgent need for responsive leadership and a holistic approach to climate change.
To find out more about what this declaration means and what we’ve committed to, visit Local Government NZ.
Our General Manager Operations, Dr Gavin Palmer, was part of the climate change adaptation technical working group (2016-2018), which was formed by the government in 2016 to deliver guidance on how New Zealand could adapt to the effects of climate change. The group is made up of technical experts across the public and private sectors and has produced two reports: a stocktake report and a recommendations report.
For more information about the climate change adaptation technical working group and their reports visit the MfE website.
In a council meeting on 14 August 2019, our councillors passed a resolution that:
Agrees that Otago must continue to prepare for the certainty that climate change will present emergency situations in many areas of our region
Will therefore continue to give high priority to adaptation to climate change, especially in our flood and drainage schemes and in South Dunedin, and to minimising our carbon emissions
In 2015, New Zealand signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Paris Agreement, which committed NZ to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030.
