Look at that image and you can see the sea reaching out from both sides to hold hands. The news that the
#SouthDunedinFuture programme, a joint programme funded by both the Dunedin City Council and the Otago Regional Council, has proposed "[r]eplacing parts of South Dunedin with wetlands and waterways" is very positive. In the "Our City, Our Climate" report co-authored by Camilla Cox and myself in 2018, we reported on workshops on adaptation to climate impacts we ran and the outcome. What was revealed was "a strong community desire for more engagement, more community discussion, and more collaborative work to understand options, to develop a vision and to act."
So over the next week or so what will be revealed is first the ambition of our two councils to provide clarity on the climate options, and then if the proposed strategy is adopted by both, it will provide a plan, with elements can can be promptly adopted. As a
#Green I am keen to see central Government investment in solutions, particularly in South Dunedin - the community most exposed to sea-level rise and with the least collective resource to adapt. I am also keen to see not only material solutions ("deintensification of high-risk areas of South Dunedin, with intensification in other areas to compensate") but also care for community, and collaboration with all the community groups like the South Dunedin Community Network and social service agencies to assist people to adjust to better housing. Providing a plan is providing certainty and provides an ability to act. Let's not delay further.
#ClimateActionNow #Adaptation #CoastalSetback #RiskReduction #SeaLevelRise #NotTooLate