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Kate Wilson Butler: Climate change - an undeniable imperative for ... - New Zealand Herald
Sustainable Business and Finance: Climate change - an undeniable imperative for the Government - NZ Herald
OPINION
As we await the final shape of the coalition deal between National, Act and New Zealand First, we already know that the climate crisis will be an undeniable imperative for the incoming and all subsequent New Zealand governments.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
State of Play
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
- Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
- Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
- Investment in carbon capture and storage technologies is increasingly rapidly.
- Governments are making investments and crafting regulations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”