Leading academic wants national debate on tackling climate change

A reputable academic calls for a national debate on the impact of climate change and how to pay for the cost of sea level rise.

Professor of Public Policy, Jonathan Boston of Victoria University, said Thingsof project on climate change, & # 39; Quick! Save the planet & # 39; sensitized and provided a timely opportunity to explore possible solutions.

"There are huge planning, insurance, financing and other issues that we really need to start tackling, and the sooner the better."

Now let's move on to the question of whether climate change is real and think more about what to do in areas such as Petone, Hawke's Bay and Dunedin South, where raising the level from the sea would soon cause serious problems.

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Individual councils are looking into what they could do and who should pay, but the scale of the problem was such that it required a coordinated approach at the national level, he said. .

"The tips are already running out of money and the decisions they must make are political."

Local government politicians were naturally reluctant to make decisions that offended voters by telling homeowners that they needed to move or pay a dyke.

Kiwis have strong emotional connections to their homes and would be very reluctant to recognize the problem or move away, Boston said.

The Insurance Council recently announced that many coastal areas would lose their insurance. This will leave some people living in homes that have a mortgage but no insurance.

Such houses would be useless and the owners inevitably lock themselves for compensation.

Boston said it would be a nightmare for national and local governments and that it was now time to start planning funding for such a scenario.

"In my opinion, we need a new national policy framework built for this purpose."

One of the priorities was to stop new construction in coastal areas exposed to floods caused by seawater.

Although it may seem long before a region like Petone is facing a flood, he said insurance companies would withdraw their coverage many years before any flood.

It was impossible to estimate the potential cost of building dikes and shorelines, introducing planning changes and moving communities, but it would be huge, he said. declared.

Good planning would now reduce potential costs and Boston preferred a national fund similar to the Seismic Commission.

While we learn more about climate change, Boston said the scale of the planet's problem is becoming clearer.