The Government has today launched New Zealand’s first National Adaptation Plan to give communities the information and support they need to prepare for the impacts of climate change.
The plan aims to address the risks identified in the 2020 climate change risk assessment.
Measures will include providing online information about local climate risks; helping home buyers avoid natural hazards; embedding climate adaptation into policies across Government; supporting Māori-led approaches to adaptation planning, and protecting at-risk cultural sites and communities.
Minister of Climate Change, James Shaw said the plan would complement New Zealand’s Emissions Reduction Plan, which was published in May.
“New Zealand was one of the first countries in the world to put into law the globally agreed target to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees,” Minister Shaw said.
“However, even with 1.5 degrees of warming, we are going see the impacts of climate change on our communities and the way we live our lives.
“It is absolutely crucial, therefore, that we do everything we can to adapt to these changes.”
Mr Shaw said it was crucial that communities be provided with the tools to prepare for climate events before they occur.
“It will always be much more cost effective to invest early in climate resilience than to live with the costs of inaction,” Mr Shaw said.
“The National Adaptation Plan brings together more than 120 actions that together provide a blueprint for more resilient communities, where everything from our homes to the way we grow our food is protected from the worst effects of climate change.”
He said the plan was another milestone in the Government’s response to climate change.
“New Zealand has a history of solving challenges through innovation, resourcefulness and determination – and adapting to climate change is no different,” the Minister said.
