Climate Change Minister says fourfold increase in Wellington slips 'what climate change looks like'
Climate Change Minister James Shaw says the recent spate of slips in Wellington follows a global pattern of more extreme weather a symptom of a changing climate. A third of Pakistan is underwater , heat waves are devastating China , fires in Australia and California , droughts and heat waves in Europe , and major rivers like the Danube drying up . In the capital, mounds of rocks and stones resting at the bottom of slopes may pale in comparison, but the recent slips have evacuated families, ruined homes and had council contractors working overtime to clear roads. Aotearoa has always had dramatic weather droughts and fires and floods and storms, Shaw said. But the severity and frequency of those weather events are increasing. That is driven by climate change. READ MORE: * Climate change made the May flooding in Canterbury more severe - researchers * Expect more floods, slips, Wellington warned after wild and damaging winter * Northland flooding: $37m worth of damage to homes, land and vehicles In the past two months, council crews have cleared 170 slips , and were working on another 266. Council chief infrastructure officer Siobhan Procter previously told Stuff the capital averaged about 1100 slips a year, and 2022 was no worse than others. However, council spokesperson Richard MacLean said now the extent of the damage had become apparent, the number was significantly higher than what wed normally expect at this time in a year. Only two roads remained completely closed: the Pass of Branda at Seatoun and The Terrace between Ghuznee and Buller streets. All others had at least one lane open. Some decisions might have to be made re whether permanent works are necessary at these sites, MacLean said. Our crews are definitely in need of a break and are looking forward to a decent drying period. Heavy rainfall had been the catalyst. According to Niwa meteorologist Ben Noll, August had brought well above normal rainfall in the Wellington region. This came after the country recorded its wettest July since records began in 1863. There were totals in excess of 200mm [for the month so far] in some cases this is two times the average August rainfall. Insurance Council of New Zealand chief executive Tim Grafton said the amount paid out in the most recent five-year period was more than double the pay-out during the previous five-year period $1.2b between 2017-21 compared with $500m between 2012-16. Shaw said the Governments recently released National Adaptation Plan aimed to reverse that trend spend more on resilience, and less on repairs and payouts. In the past year he had noticed a shift in public opinion people were starting to connect their lived experiences with the science. Many of us live on very steep hillsides, and the vast majority are personally noticing as we walk home from work a dozen slips on various scales. Toka Tu Ake EQC chief executive Tina Mitchell said New Zealand was one of the few countries with an insurance scheme offering any form of insurance cover for land damage caused by natural disasters. Landslides were one of EQCs most common claims. The scheme does have its limits, so it is vital that homeowners understand what they are covered for and what they are not. Cover included the land under your home, land within 8m of a residence and the land supporting a driveway, up to 60m from the front door, including bridges and culverts within 60m and some retaining walls.