Wellington climate plan called preachy, nonsense and 'a farce' by councillors

Wednesday, 19 June 2019

Thousands of people march down Wellington's Lambton Quay for Schools Strike for Climate Change.

Wellington will declare a climate emergency on Thursday - but just 44 per cent of people consulted think the city will actually take action.

The Wellington City Council has also called itself out on perceived hypocrisy with one councillor calling its climate change plan a farce.

On Tuesday, councillors considered Te Atakura First to Zero - a plan to be carbon zero by 2050 - but councillor Andy Foster said the plan was self-congratulatory.

'It feels like at the moment we're saying: 'We're fantastic, we're better than everyone else on the planet, we have such low emissions, so we should just grow, grow, grow',' he said.

* NZ science and tech, not climate emergencies, the biggest hope for global impact on climate change

* Auckland Council declares climate change emergency

* Are councils walking the talk with the 'climate emergency'?**

'Are we trying to have our cake and eat it too and have somebody else's as well?'

Victoria University professor James Renwick says he hopes Wellington will treat the climate emergency as a real emergency.

Councillor Nicola Young said the climate plan struck her as 'very do as I say, and not do as I do'.

Since the reduction of single-use plastic bags in supermarkets was introduced, the council itself may be the largest producer of plastic bags in the city, she said.

Young called the plan 'greenwashing', 'lip service' and 'preachy'.

'I'll be voting against it because it's just nonsense,' she said. 'If we started to do something about the landfill and about the plastic bags then maybe I'd think it's serious, but it's not, it's just virtual-signalling, and chest beating.'

Councillor Nicola Young called the carbon zero plan 'greenwashing', 'lip service' and 'preachy'.

Councillor Sarah Free said they also faced a 'public transport emergency' and wanted answers on how the council would combat it.

'Without that, we might as well call this document a farce.'

Thousands of Wellington's young people skipped school in March and June to demand climate action.

Up to 80,000 more people are expected to call Wellington home ahead of 2050, and Victoria University professor James Renwick said the capital faced unique challenges.

'We need to get that message across that stakes are really high.'

Wellington City Councillor Andy Foster has called the Te Atakura First to Zero plan self-congratulatory.

Although 91 per cent said they thought their actions could have an impact, only 44 per cent thought the city would actually take action at all.

Renwick pointed to uncertainty if the city would ever move to a completely electric bus fleet, and also many years of uncertainty surrounding a light rail system.

James Renwick says Wellington should embrace the climate emergency and could become a champion for wind energy, or investigate tidal energy.

Wellington's infrastructure was also a concern, he said. Arterial roads and and key routes were low-lying and close to sea level, and waterways in some suburbs could become overwhelmed.

Renwick said the climate emergency movement was encouraging - even the Pope had declared one.

'The council should really embrace this move and not see it as a cost and something we have to do, but see it as a real opportunity.'

Councillor David Lee said the 44 per cent skeptical may be jaded after years of inaction.

'The younger demographic really want the change, and there's a feeling that we're not doing enough, and I think they're right.'

Lee said the preferred trackless tram solution for Wellington could be 10 years away.

In Shenzhen, China they accomplished a fully-electric bus fleet of 20,000 buses in just two months.

'In the west we tend to be quite sluggish because money is a big factor,' Lee said.

As well as declaring a climate emergency on Thursday, the council will also declare a 'biodiversity emergency'.

'The environment doesn't have a voice, and if it did it would be screaming out 'help me',' Lee said.

TE ATAKURA - FIRST TO ZERO FEEDBACK

The council's feedback analysis report summarises the views of 1288 submissions on the council's plan.

* 92 per cent agreed the council need to prioritise becoming zero carbon by 2050, no matter what.

* Additionally, 82 per cent said it needed to happen before 2050.

* Responses had a strong focus on transport, with people wanting better active and public transport and less private cars clogging up the CBD.

* People also wanted more nature and green space and a zero emissions fleet.

* 89 per cent said they were prepared to take actions to reduce their own emissions.

* Males were on average less concerned about the impact of climate change and females and gender diverse people were more likely to say zero carbon must be achieved 'no matter what'.

* Older age groups were more likely to say 'no' to the council prioritising becoming zero carbon by 2050.

Climate councils

The Hawke's Bay Regional Council has expressed strong support to join other councils in declaring a climate emergency.

At a council environment and services meeting on Wednesday, councillor Tom Belford said the declaration was not a 'token exercise'.

'We need to give this priority and raise public consciousness on the issue of climate change and the need to adapt our behaviours,' he said. 'Global warming is impossible to deny. We are getting weekly updates to prove it is accelerating.'

The Hutt City Council is also expected to declare a climate emergency in the coming days.

The Kāpiti Coast District Council declared a climate emergency in May - the third district to do so.

The declarations carry no statutory or legal weight and are a symbolic move to highlight the crisis facing councils.