Nicola Johnston
The Dunedin City Council is set to spend the next three
years developing a wide-ranging response to the problem of
climate change, after some alarming warnings about what the
future holds.
The response will include a major study on the future of
South Dunedin, and four other ''hot spots'' identified as the
most vulnerable areas of the city.
The climate change adaptation project plan, to be implemented
over three years at a cost of $67,500 a year, was approved at
a finance, strategy and development committee meeting in late
November.
Corporate policy team manager Nicola Johnston said staff
would begin gathering information for the South Dunedin study
early this year.
One of her first jobs after the Christmas break was to
recruit a dedicated sustainability adviser, though she
emphasised that meant ''redefining'' an existing role rather
than adding to staff numbers.
The adaptation project plan's genesis was a report in April
by University of Otago emeritus professor of geography Blair
Fitzharris that made it clear the city faced some stark
choices by the end of the century, with sea-level rise
expected to cause serious problems in South Dunedin, St Kilda
and St Clair.
The area was identified as one of five hot spots.
The others were the lower Taieri Plain, including Dunedin
International Airport; populated estuaries along the coast;
the ecosystems of upland conservation regions; and the
harbourside shoreline, including the entrance to Otago
Harbour.
A recent report on the issue by Ms Johnston said completing
the studies on the hot spots would enable the council to
understand what methods could be used to adapt to the
changes, and the costs and impacts.
With input from the community, options for each area would be
developed, as would an implementation plan.
''The work areas are getting larger, and the need to plan for
the future is fundamental to the work of the council,'' Ms
Johnston said.
The plan included eight actions to be taken by a group of 14
staff from across the council's departments.
Of the five hot spots, South Dunedin was the highest priority
because of already high and rising groundwater levels, and
modelling that predicted ponding of water within 20 years in
parts of South Dunedin.
''Of all the hot spots identified, the possible impacts on
South Dunedin affect by far the most residents, businesses
and critical infrastructure.''
The South Dunedin study would assess the risks and scenarios
and present engineering solutions, mitigation methods and
costings, as well as a social impact assessment.
''That programme is a key piece of work [this] year,'' Ms
Johnston said.
Ms Johnston said feedback from the community made it clear
residents wanted the council to take a leadership role on the
problems of climate change and peak oil.
The community would be involved, as the council was aware
there was plenty of expertise and passion in the community.
''We should be harnessing that.''
That community input will, in part, be channelled through Cr
Jinty MacTavish's community resilience forum, which has
replaced the council's sustainability panel.
Cr MacTavish said the panel would be more ''outcome focused''
than it was.
It would be able to provide expert advice, and identify
issues and topics that needed action.
This year, the group might focus on key areas such as
transport, energy and food security, identify what the
situation was, and what was known from the reports and from
community expertise.
''Then we'll explore the alternatives, what other councils
are doing, how we might do things better.''
A briefing of potential members would be held in early
February and the panel would be put together later in the
month, with members from organisations including Sustainable
Dunedin, the Waitati energy project and tertiary
institutions.
- david.loughrey@odt.co.nz
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