11 January 2024

The Editor

Hot on the heels from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service that last year was the planet’s hottest on record by a substantial margin, and likely the world’s warmest in the last 100,000 years, The Press reports concerns over the dry conditions and sizzling temperatures in Canterbury, resulting in health alert warnings and fire restrictions. 

Interestingly NIWA has reported the hottest year on record in New Zealand, for the past three years. 

It will be interesting to hear our government’s response to this ‘new’ news, given their first actions since taking office, which have included the repeal of the Resource Management Act reforms, the return of uncommitted funding from the Climate Emergency Response Fund, the return of funding from the Government Investment in decarbonising Industry (GIDI) Fund, the return of uncommitted CERF funding from the National Land Transport Fund, the exit of Let’s Get Wellington Moving and an end to Labour’s policy of half-price public transport fares for under 25s.

Next up it’s making it easier to consent new infrastructure including allowing farmers to farm, enabling aquaculture and other primary industries, along with repealing the ban on oil and gas exploration. 

I don’t hold out much hope for anything substantive from this government cycle to reduce our emissions or detrimental practices, or specifically here in Canterbury to improve our freshwater, given their haste to sure up coalition support and appeal to those vociferous lobbyists that argue we are but a small drop in the ocean of those impacting on the planet’s climate.

I fear we are more likely to see the rolling out of an updated version of the slip, slip, slap campaign as our contribution to future generations.

GB