Adaptation and planning
Climate-related risks are not new to planners and resource managers. The effects of floods, droughts, windstorms and other extreme weather events are already addressed by local government when planning and providing services.
Climate change will not generally create new climate-related risks but it may change the frequency and intensity of existing risks and hazards, as well as introduce some long-term shifts in climate patterns across the country. Managing climate change will not require a materially different approach to managing natural climate variability.
The Ministry for the Environment has produced a range of guidance material targeted at those who advise local government decision-makers, including:
- Strategic and policy planners
- Asset managers responsible for planning future community asset needs and for resolving existing and emerging problems
- Staff handling resource consent and building consent applications
- Staff responsible for council databases, particularly those providing information on hazards and risks to private landowners and other agencies
For more information see:
- Guidance materials
- The Effects of Climate Change under the Resource Management Act - A Quality Planning guidance note
- Climate change impacts and adaptation reference list
- Climate change publications
Last updated: 18 October 2010
