Developing a science-based approach for Central and Local Government to identify opportunities for reducing the impacts of climate change on the urban environment.

The Problem

Up until now, most local governments in New Zealand have focuses on identifying potential impacts of climate change, but not on how to adapt to these impacts.

Around 75% of the $1.5 billion insurance payout for damages from natural hazards in New Zealand over the last 40 years was for weather related hazards. These risks are expected to increase in future because of climate change, perhaps greatly so if international efforts to reduce greenhouse gases are poor. As such, our work will generate substantial economic benefits in the future if we can minimise that damage.

New Zealand needs communities that are resilient to changes in climate and the hazards that come with it. Urban environments are particularly vulnerable to extreme weather (storms, droughts) and flooding events (sea level rise) and so this project was directed to work out how to reduce the harm caused by these potential changes.

The Approach

This research programme will help central and local government identify opportunities and reduce the impacts of climate change on urban and built environment/infrastructure. We are using a science-based risk assessment process and identifying adaptation options. By collaborating with councils spanning a range of environments and demographics we will

• Identify current and likely future spending (investment and maintenance) on various aspects of the urban environment and infrastructure;
• Develop a process to identify and quantify key risks and opportunities for those aspects which are sensitive to climate change, drawing on NIWA climate change scenarios;
• determine the current level of adaptation to these opportunities and risks, and additional adaptation options and their costs and benefits; and
• develop processes for councils to integrate these methods for managing climate change risks and opportunities into their activities and plans, and to identify and reduce barriers to their implementation. We will synthesize our results into a generic framework for climate change risk and opportunity management which can be used by central and local Government.

The Outcome

The work on this project was completed in 2012.  The Climate Change and Urban Impacts Toolbox can be accessed here.