The Climate Chap: Climate change over the last year

23 May, 2022

Has anything changed on the climate crisis front since I scribed my first article way back in January 2021? Certainly, and both positive and negative.

Globally we have now experienced the ten hottest years on record… all in the past ten years. It’s getting hotter and will continue to do so. Impacts? Twenty-three hectares of arable land are being lost to drought and desertification every minute. That’s one soccer pitch every second. The population and demand for arable crops continues to rise at the same time that productive land is disappearing.

It’s been a positive time for non-petrol cars in Aotearoa. EV’s are now far from rare with Tesla’s, Leaf’s and MG’s frequently spotted along Molesworth Drive. The introduction of the feebate rewards has no doubt vastly helped this trend and now discounts are extended to hybrids and even efficient petrol cars. Methinks we are rapidly reaching a tipping point with the ever-increasing cost of petrol. Time to drive ‘economically’ by checking tyre pressures, keeping to the speed limit, carpooling, taking the surf boards off the roof when not surfing to suggest just a few economies within your reach. Sadly the sole EV charging point at The Hub now seems vastly underused since it’s no longer free.

Much progress on the food front. Most supermarkets now have a vegetarian section, and more and more ‘plant based’ foods are now available, both imported and pleasingly Kiwi manufactured. In particular the Pam’s range of plant-free dishes is both extensive and delicious. Plant-based meats, sausages, chicken and my favourite lasagne are just part of the offerings now. The two US producers, Impossible Foods and Beyond Meats, are now available at Countdown stores.

It is however sad that our government has taken a leading role in insisting that the United Nations (UN) not use the phrase ‘plant based’ for plant-based meals. No doubt not wishing to upset the meat industry the UN now uses the term “healthy and sustainable” instead… no comment!

Talking about our government, at the COP26 conference held last November we significantly increased our goals for removing harmful emissions by 2030. Fossil fuel-based emissions are to be reduced by 50 percent from 2005 levels and methane-based emissions, largely from ruminating livestock belching, to be reduced by 30 percent from 2020 levels.

Sounds very positive, however the renown Climate Action Checker website, one of the most referenced and authoritative sources of climate related data, rates Aotearoa’s performance as “Highly Insufficient” and severely questions the basis of our calculations when determining these goals and performance. It seems that we are alone in separating out our fossil fuel emissions and methane emissions, whereas the norm is to have one overall target using the carbon equivalent calculation.

Despite the goal of eliminating its use, sadly we have had a record year in using coal for electricity generation.

The superb Trees That Count program has now planted its first one million native trees throughout the country. More and more businesses are going ‘sustainable’ and now sponsoring this super concept.

In recent weeks much publicity has been generated about the potential rising of sea levels and the potential impact on property owners in areas subject to flooding. Whereas sea levels

continue to rise due to water warming, it appears that the land supporting Mangawhai is sinking, therefore accentuating the potential threat of damage.

The media has certainly got behind climate change. Stuff publishes the Forever Project, both on paper and the web, and supported by The Warehouse. It seems to me that overseas news is invariably reporting disasters whereas local news is far more positive in highlighting progress being achieved. Hardly a day passes without an article on the need and benefits of walking and cycling as alternatives to driving.

The real biggie is due before the end of May. Our government’s actual plans and projects to ensure that we meet our UN obligations by 2030. Sounds like plenty of time, but it’s only 90 months away and there is tons to achieve. These plans will naturally impact how central government, Kaipara District Council, industry, energy generation, transport and indeed all of us will need to change and contribute to what will be a revolutionary adaptation through our proud nation.