Climate change: Lobby group threatens legal moves to make Auckland Council act
Climate change lobbyists are warning Auckland Council it could face legal action if its decisions on reducing greenhouse gas emissions fall short of promises made . The message came from Lawyers for Climate Action during a presentation to the councils planning committee on Thursday. Auckland Council has made bold commitments to halve emissions by 2030 and for the city to be net carbon neutral by 2050, but is making a tentative start to rolling out its own initiatives. We dont want to sue people, its time-consuming, and expensive and disruptive but we are very committed to seeing this country achieve its climate goals, Jenny Cooper QC told councillors. READ MORE: * Transforming transport for climate is key to reducing emissions in Auckland * Auckland's congestion and climate solution is simple: Drive and pollute less * Auckland's public transport fare rises contradict its climate action goals The presentation was made by members of the All Aboard coalition, Paul Winton of 1point5.org.nz , David Robertson from Generation Zero , and Cooper from Lawyers for Climate Action . Cooper said an early legal test of whether councillors are meeting their legal obligations to act could come when Aucklands draft Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP) is released. The RLTP is the $31 billion, 10-year plan work programme involving local and government-run projects, involving NZTA Waka Kotahi and the Ministry of Transport, and signed off by council agency Auckland Transport. Another coalition member, Paul Winton, told councillors they had done well to set bold goals, but the RLTP needs to deliver. We expect the RLTP to be entirely consistent [with emission reduction goals] otherwise someone is not listening the failure of council to follow its own policies is something that would be open to the courts, Winton said. In its own Ten Year Budget, Auckland Council has proposed spending $150 million over the next decade on mostly in-house climate action. It will seek public views on the ideas from late February. Councillors have favoured the smaller of two climate action options , going for one that would cost an average residential ratepayer $21 a year but achieve only half the carbon reduction of a $44 option. The budget proposals acknowledge much more will need to be done to [meet the council commitment] to halve carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Coalition members have given similar presentations to decision-makers such as Auckland Transports board of directors, urging a significant change in the direction of spending. Robertson said official estimates were that the current path of transport project spending will produce annual rises in emission levels, rather than falls. Reducing vehicle travel must be the benchmark for every transport and housing decision, such as pricing car parking accordingly, he told councillors. Analysis done by Winton and then reviewed by consultants MR Cagney found even after all the planned major transport projects had been finished in Auckland, the impact on carbon emissions would be small. Winton told councillors the bigger shifts could be achieved without necessarily high cost. We have to transfer 25 per cent of existing roads, tarmac and concrete across to active transport and public transport we have to shift the narrative, he said. We need to stop doing what we are doing, and do it differently. Councillor Josephine Bartley bristled at what she described as anger coming through at what the council had done, and said councillors already get hate for doing things such as removing car parks. Winton said research his group had done showed most New Zealanders want climate action, and to ignore loud critics. Theres a relatively small minority 14 per cent who dont believe climate change is a thing. They are the loudest voices on this topic, he said. Ignore them, they are loud they will continue to be loud, and you just have to move forward.