1 minute read
Our future at stake
Like many people who live rurally, I headed home after hearing my whanau were cut off by the floods.
These floods have shown the damage caused by slash run off from pine plantations. At the same time many farms are under water, with stock losses yet to be measured. We need to ensure we’re restoring floodplains and wetlands, and planting more native forests that can help sure-up steep banks and reduce erosion and slips.
When I finally got through, I got over the hills and saw that the river had spread out like a lake. My whanau were safe, but my heart goes out to all our whanau out there in Tairawhiti and across Heretaunga, particularly those families who have lost loved ones or are still waiting to hear from loved ones.
The immediate priority must be to make sure people get the support they need and that our communities are supported fully to recover. Over the last couple of weeks we have seen just how much we rely on each other and our communities.
Extreme weather is now happening at a pace and intensity we have never experienced before. This is climate change.
Although extreme weather affects everyone, it does not affect everyone equally. Climate change disproportionately affects low income households, as well as disabled people and migrants.
Systems designed by successive governments weren’t working before the floods, and they obviously didn’t work during. But, we can now make decisions to ensure they work in the future. Our priority right now is to make sure people get the support they need and that our communities are supported fully to recover.
Climate resilience means better urban planning and flood protection. We need to stop urban sprawl into natural areas and our agricultural areas. Green belts around urban areas are essential for protecting biodiversity, and managing flooding.
We also need to make sure we have a plan to fix one of those pesky three waters – storm water.
Most of our towns have incredibly old storm water systems that urgently need upgrading which is why we need central government-led investment into ageing infrastructure to prepare for more frequent and extreme weather events.
And beyond this, we should be using more green infrastructure, which is shown to reduce surface flooding and improve water quality entering our rivers and seas. This is a crucial part of adapting to a changing climate. If we’d started investing in these solutions 30 years ago we’d be better off today, but it’s not too late to make the changes we need.
There are solutions to climate change. We know what they are. It’s now more urgent than ever that we take action.
We just have to push past the climate deniers and the corporate climate procrastinators who have continued to put profit before the planet. Our future is at stake here.