Highlights from Forest and Bird’s event last night Climate 2050: discussing Wellington’s future
Panel discussion,
Twitter coverage of the talks,
James Renwick Professor School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, Victoria,
Pertinent twitter comment,
Climate Minister James Shaw,
This is always a useful reminder,
Wellington Regional Councillor, and former Green MP Sue Kedgeley,
Wellington City Councillor David Lee,
Q and A session,
So glad to hear someone saying this,
Forest and Bird also put out a press release,
Forest & Bird: driving 500m melts 1kg of glacier ice
At the event Climate 2050: discussing Wellington’s future this evening Forest & Bird climate advocate Adelia Hallett highlighted new research showing that every 500 metres we drive melts at least one kilogram of glacier ice.
“This brings home the reality that even small decisions make a difference to New Zealand’s natural environment. If you can bicycle or walk 500 metres instead of driving, you have saved a kilogram of glacier ice,” says Ms Hallett.
“But individuals can’t make good decisions without the right support or infrastructure. To the politicians here this evening, I say: show us the bike lanes and electric trains,” she adds.
The research, by climate scientists at the Universities of Bremen and Innsbruck, looked at how much mountain glaciers would melt under various climate scenarios. They showed that the world has already committed to losing more than a third of its mountain glacier ice. How much more is lost depends on our actions now.
“Glaciers are highly visible symbols of climate change,” says Ms Hallett. “But each of those kilograms of glacier ice also translates into other effects: more inundation of low lying areas by the sea, ocean acidification, extreme weather events, and pressure on native species.”
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