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Climate Change & Nature

Aotearoa

Protect.  Restore.  Thrive.

Climate Change & Nature

Protect.  Restore.  Thrive.

The climate is changing.  And we are not prepared.

“We have to realise that this is not playing games. This is not just having a nice little debate, arguments and then coming away with a compromise. This is an urgent problem that has to be solved and, what’s more, we know how to do it.” – Sir David Attenborough

We are facing an existential threat – literally a threat to our existence. The Government and many councils around Aotearoa have acknowledged this threat by declaring a climate emergency.

We know how to respond to the emergency. And we can afford to do so.

“Restoring a third of the areas most degraded by humans and preserving remaining natural ecosystems would prevent 70% of projected extinctions of mammals, birds and amphibians. It would also sequester around 465 gigatonnes of CO2 — almost half of the total atmospheric CO2 increase since the Industrial Revolution.” – Strassburg et al, 2020.

The climate is changing. And we are not prepared.

“We have to realise that this is not playing games. This is not just having a nice little debate, arguments and then coming away with a compromise. This is an urgent problem that has to be solved and, what’s more, we know how to do it.” – Sir David Attenborough

We are facing an existential threat – literally a threat to our existence. The Government and many councils around Aotearoa have acknowledged this threat by declaring a climate emergency.

We know how to respond to the emergency. And we can afford to do so.

“Restoring a third of the areas most degraded by humans and preserving remaining natural ecosystems would prevent 70% of projected extinctions of mammals, birds and amphibians. It would also sequester around 465 gigatonnes of CO2—almost half of the total atmospheric CO2 increase since the Industrial Revolution.” – Strassburg et al, 2020.

The dual problem

The smart solution

Stop doing it, and put excess atmospheric carbon back underground before dangerous tipping points are exceeded.

The world’s plan (so far…)

  1. Keep shovelling much more into the atmosphere but aim to decelerate so that by 2050 everyone (fingers crossed) will be carbon zero….except for the agricultural sector in New Zealand. They have until 2100 to reduce biogenic methane emissions.
  2. Start putting excess carbon back underground.
  3. Prepare to adapt, as some dangerous tipping points are already being exceeded.

Dozens of strategies are underway to support this plan.

Our goals for this website

  1. Create a climate wiki
  2. Create a networking hub to support and showcase those restoring native ecosystems before they are irretrievably lost, and to help everyone prepare to adapt using these resources.

Mobilising the free ecosystem services provided by nature  is the most cost-effective and practical strategy to address the dual problem of climate change and biodiversity by:

  • Reducing carbon emissions into the atmosphere
  • Drawing atmospheric carbon back into the ground
  • Reducing economic & social upheaval
  • Replenishing ecosystem services across multiple habitats
  • Restoring health to waterways
  • Restoring mahinga kai
  • Increasing agricultural productivity while reducing emissions
  • Creating new business opportunities
  • Reducing the impacts of climate change on our health & wellbeing

The content of this site draws on peer-reviewed research across multiple disciplines—the ‘Nuts & Bolts’—and practical on the ground work underway—‘Our Places‘.

We know there’s some great work underway to build a safer, healthier, and more resilient future. Contact us if you would like to share your knowledge or information about your native restoration and projects, including trapping, so that we can add them to the ‘Our Places‘ section of the website.

This site is focussed on the role of nature in helping mitigate and adapt to climate change. Outside of this focus, where we find innovative ideas and technologies that may be of interest, we will add them to the ‘Innovation‘.

“Nature is at the heart of our success, livelihood and wellbeing as New Zealanders. It is valuable for its own sake and provides us with so many benefits from clean water, pollination, flood protection, food production, and the landscapes that are the basis for our tourism industry.” – Conservation Minister (2017-2020) Eugenie Sage

The climate is changing. And so can we.

“We have three choices: mitigation, adaptation, and suffering. We are going to do some of each. The question is what the mix is going to be. The more mitigation we do, the less adaptation will be required and the less suffering there will be.” – John Holdren, US Office of Science and Technology Policy

With a focus on Canterbury, this site includes resources relevant to all of Aoteaora.

Explainers

An emergency by definition is a serious, unexpected, and often dangerous situation requiring immediate action. By intent, declaring an emergency disrupts the status quo, that is, the way we go about our daily lives and our expectations for the future. So declaring an emergency can be justified only if:

  • The risk is high; and
  • The consequences of failure are unmanageable or unacceptable; and
  • Time constraints govern whether a response will be effective

Based on the evidence and intention of several governments to produce 120% more fossil fuels by 2030, even using a cautious and conservative analysis, declaring a climate emergency is the only rational and responsible action to avoid global social, economic, and environmental collapse within our lifetime and the lifetimes of our children and mokopuna.

Mitigation, adaptation, or both? To mitigate (reduce) the impacts of climate change, we need to:

  • Emit fewer fossil fuel gasses into the atmosphere by decarbonsing our economy
  • Take excess fossil fuel gasses from the atmosphere by restoring nature (while carbon capture technology is viable, it’s incredibly costly and does not bring the social, economic, and environmental co-benefits of restoring nature)

IPCC reports in 2018 and 2019 stated that major tipping points could be reached between 1° and 2°C. We have now passed 1.1°C above pre-industrial temperatures, and t dangerous tipping points are now being breached. Even if countries act on their Paris climate agreement pledges to reduce emissions, we are on track for warming of more than 3°C in spite of the brief reduction in emissions due to Covid-19. Therefore adaptation is necessary as some effects of climate change are now unavoidable.

How much time do we have?  In spite of Covid-19, carbon emissions are rising  and climate tipping points are being breached. New Zealand is one of the worst-performing countries, ranking 44th out of 45 of the world’s Industrialised countries. We’re using more than six times our fair share of the carbon emissions budget that would keep global temperature increases below 1.5°C.with 47.8% of our emissions (from agriculture) given a free pass under the ETS.

“The world is still heading for a catastrophic temperature rise in excess of 3°C this century.” – UN Emissions Gap Report, 09 December 2020

References and further reading