With the growing threats of climate change, the need for adaptation cannot be overstated. Aside from the huge price tag that comes with adaptation, an overarching policy or regulations that would provide guidance and direction on how adaptation and funding should be done is needed.
The paper “Funding Climate Change Adaptation, the case for a New Policy Framework,” authored by Jonathan Boston and Judy Lawrence, “summarises the nature of the adaptation challenges facing New Zealand, outlines the problems with current policy settings, identifies principles and considerations that should guide the reform agenda, and reviews several policy options.”
Jonathan Boston is a professor of public policy at the School of Government at Victoria University of Wellington. Judy Lawerence is a Senior Research Fellow at the New Zealand Climate Change Research Institute at Victoria University of Wellington and co-chair of the Climate Change Adaptation Technical Working Group.
The paper says that mitigating climate change is a ‘super-wicked’ policy problem, and New Zealand’s current planning, regulatory, and funding frameworks are insufficient to address its impacts.
How do policymakers approach the unique challenge of slow-motion natural disasters, which will increase in magnitude and intensity as the century progresses?
How can policies or regulations address the destructive consequences of climate change: rising sea levels, severe droughts, intense rainfall, human ills, and threats to ecosystems and biodiversity? The paper seeks answers to these questions.
Aside from policy and regulatory challenges, there are political challenges, such as what adaptation strategies should be prioritised and how to handle the public’s reaction when these adaptation measures are implemented.
The paper also provides answers to the following questions:
- Is the country’s current funding, planning, regulatory frameworks, policy tools and instruments enough to deal with climate change adaptation?
- What is the cost of climate change, globally and here at home?
- How can we protect agriculture, aquaculture, and the fishing industry from the impacts of climate change, in addition to protecting infrastructure?
The article suggests two guiding principles for funding climate change adaptation that should be incorporated into the policy framework: long-term cost minimisation and Equitable burden-sharing. The paper thoroughly discusses these concepts.
It also considers future generations and the equitable sharing of burdens regarding the future impacts and costs of climate change.
Read the interesting facts, figures, and information on the current state of New Zealand’s policies and regulations regarding climate change adaptation and funding that the write-up presents.
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PHOTO CREDIT: Muriwai Beach, New Zealand, by Karl Hipolito