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Climate Change

In 2014, New Zealand contributed 0.17 per cent to the world's total greenhouse gas emissions. However, on a per capita basis, New Zealand is a significant emitter.
Photo - Iain Robertson

New Zealand is a global leader and a hot tourist destination for the world and this small country can definitely show the world how its done - has done with many issues throughout history.
Photo - Iain Robertson
Local Government has a significant role to play in climate change.  I want to continue and add to the current initiatives that the Whangarei District Council are working on.
Our communities are to face sea level rise/flooding, coastal erosion, increased extreme weather events, coastal inundation, landslides and droughts.  The council must lead by example rather than point the finger by measuring and reducing emissions in the public organization and insuring our communities infrastructure is able to cope.
I think all of the following are achievable ways of Council setting an example and leading by example for reducing CO2 emissions and mitigating impacts.
There are obviously many more.

  1. I don’t think its necessary for council staff to be using aircraft/flying
  2. LED Streetlighting
  3. Composting program District Wide
  4. Council staff should favour EV taxis, walking and cycling/(electric motor if needed) around the CBD
  5. Council vehicle fleet should upgrade to EV when needing replaced including refuse vehicles (Favour contractor that will take the environment seriously)
  6. Council should utilize local businesses at all times even if there is a slightly larger monetary “cost” (Favour contractors that have policy and procedures around caring for the environment)
  7. Shared garden spaces - fruit and veg, and share and swap them with local neighbours – less travel to supermarket
  8. Increase coastal shipping’s share of inter-regional freight to 30 percent of tonne-kilometers by 2040?
  9. Increase rail’s share of freight to 30 percent of tonne kilometers by 2040?
  10. Planting Natives
Photo - Iain Robertson
  • Passenger Transport
  • Policy 
  • Parking 
  • District Planning
  • Infrastructure design
  • Travel Behaviour Change 
  • Walking and Cycling
See more about the impact of climate change here: https://climate.nasa.gov/
Photo - Iain Robertson

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