Cyclone Gabrielle devastation potentially moves the dial on climate change action
The huge cyclone devastation across the country is potentially moving the dial on climate change action in Parliament. Climate Change Minister James Shaw wants to accelerate changes to adaptation rules , asking officials to look at what can be put in place sooner, rather than later. He requested answers from officials swiftly on whether there were immediate interventions that would help us to build long-term resilience in, rather than just reverting to the status quo, which of course would simply increase a lot of people's risk. Shaw gave the example of visiting a home last week that had been lifted off its foundations by floodwaters, with the occupants having to escape out the second floor window onto the roof. READ MORE: * In pictures: Cyclone Gabrielle cuts path of destruction * What to do when the power is out * Greens' James Shaw looks for cross-party support for new climate change rules They don't want to live there any more. They know that if they end up having to rebuild that house in the same place, there'll be exposing themselves and the children to the same risk over again. Two weeks ago, Shaw looked for cross-party support for a new bill on adapting to climate change, wanting to introduce it before Octobers election. On Tuesday, when asked if an October timeline was fast enough for people dealing with climate change consequences, Shaw said there were changes he would like sped up. Im currently working that through with the Ministry for the Environment and saying, Look, are there things in the adaptation work programme, which if we were to accelerate them right now, would make more of a difference? He said internationally and particularly in Australia, there were decisions made in the immediate disaster recovery stage that help you to build resilience and over the long term. On what immediate policies could be put in place, Victoria Universitys Economics of Disasters and Climate Change chair Professor Ilan Noy said, the sooner we put post-disaster managed retreat in place, the better. Managed retreat (where hazard-prone communities or assets are moved) could be split into anticipatory managed retreat (before any damage has been incurred) and post-disaster managed retreat. At the very least, I hope that the last few weeks will serve indeed as a motivation for us to get that post-disaster managed retreat programme up and running, including arranging the funding necessary for it. That way, we will not continue to rebuild in harms way, in places that cannot be sustainably protected from the extreme weather that is indeed going to become more and more common (as the climate change scientists have been warning us for many years). Nationals Climate Change spokesperson Todd Muller said such events as the cyclone did bring how we adapt as a nation to climate change into stark focus. I think what really jumps out is the scale of the devastation - how vulnerable our infrastructure and communities and our people are when nature hurls its worst at us. We've got to get this stuff right, he said in reference to the climate adaptation bill. Asked if National would support moves by Shaw to speed up parts of climate change adaption, Muller said there was a distinction between enduring climate change policy to deal with adaption and any particular tactical priority that the minister might bring in the short term. We always look at all proposed legislation that gets put (to Parliament) on its merit. If they now want to bring it forward with some urgency, we will look at it. But that broader framework will take time. Greenpeace Aotearoa executive director and former Green Party co-leader Russell Norman criticised Shaws approach to find cross-party support on climate change, referring to the Zero Carbon Act and He Waka Eke Noa as basically useless green-washing. Do what is required, dont do the lowest common denominator. He described New Zealands performance on climate mitigation as woeful and the progress on climate adaption as still in early days. We have responsibility everyone who comes after us. We're dealing with just the beginning. That's what we need to think about. If that means upsetting agribusiness lobby groups, then so be it. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said on Tuesday the events underscored for everybody the importance of the work that we have to do as a country to reduce our emissions, and to make sure that we are really rising to the challenge of climate change. It is real, it's having an impact, and we have a responsibility to do something about it.