The Mt Maunganui tragedy is the latest in an increasing number of terrible events caused by increased rainfall from tropical cyclones, and it is going to get worse.
In August of last year Earth Sciences New Zealand and the University of Waikato found that, under a high emissions scenario, extreme rainfall from cyclones could rise by up to 35% across the southwest Pacific, including for ex-tropical cyclones impacting Aotearoa New Zealand.
The more greenhouse gases that are emitted, the higher temperatures get, with a high emissions scenario representing around a 3°C increase by the end of the century. A warmer atmosphere holds more water – so when storms develop, they have access to more water vapour that can be released as heavier rainfall.
In 2015 we signed up to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – often referred to as The Paris Agreement – to limit global warming to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5 °C.
We are failing to keep our word and by doing so we are going make life worse for our children, our grandchildren and all future generations of New Zealanders.
For me, Climate Change and management of The Economy (so that it works for the benefit of the many and not the wealthy few) are the two major issues facing us today.
Below is a list of parties ranked from most concerned to least concerned about Climate Change based on their statements.
It’s your call this election.
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Climate change, inequality, species extinction, resource depletion, pollution etc etc are all symptoms of the neoliberal false belief of continued growth on a finite planet.
There are still many people who seem to believe that, because we are a small country, we have no real effect on climate change and no responsibility to do anything about it. It's an insidious argument that comes up all the time, particularly against Green Party statements and policy. Everyone needs to take responsibility. Currently, our carbon footprint is much higher per capita than it should be. We are part of the problem and need to be part of the solution. We used to believe in moral leadership - what happened to that idea?