Greg Dawes suggests we could, at least, be taking small steps to a brighter future.
The tragic flooding of homes in South Dunedin a couple of weeks ago may or may not be related to climate change.
But as climate change occurs and sea levels rise, such events will become more frequent.
It seems, too, from a growing body of scientific research, that human activities are contributing to climate change. What can we do?
As a country, we don't seem to be doing much. Since 1990, our carbon emissions have increased by 21%.
But here's a small step we could take towards a brighter future.
About 16% of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions come from road transport.
Roughly half of this, measured by petrol rather than diesel usage, comes from private motor vehicles.
This means that we are responsible, as individuals, for about 8% of the greenhouse gases that New Zealand contributes to climate change.
What does this mean? It means that if we each reduced by one half the distance we travelled every day by car, we could reduce New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions by 4%.
Does that sound too difficult? Well, about 30% of our car journeys involve going to work.
Another 25% are ''recreational''. Take the first of these.
From many parts of Dunedin, it is quite practical to walk to work.
From many more parts of Dunedin, it is quite possible to cycle to work. (Yes, I know many of you live on a hill. So do I.)
Both forms of what planners call ''active transportation'' have significant health benefits (especially if you live on a hill).
Walking or cycling to work could also save each of us up to $1000 a year in fuel costs.
As for ''recreational'' driving, well at least some of that could be avoided. A 50% reduction overall is certainly achievable.
New Zealand's contribution to climate change is, of course, relatively small. And reducing car use is only a small step, even for New Zealand.
But it's a small step we could each take.
If enough of us did so, and let our politicians know about it, it would show our Government we were serious about the issue.
If New Zealand took some serious action as a result of this, we could become a model for the rest of the world.
A new flag would (perhaps) be cool. But this would make me really proud to be a New Zealander.
Greg Dawes is an associate professor in the department of philosophy at the University of Otago.
