Climate change doesn’t just affect our environment; it also has huge impacts on the well-being of people and culture. This is the message from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
According to the IPCCs most recent report, released today, a viable future is dependent on protecting and strengthening nature. It is the Second installmentThe IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report will be completed in this year.
The second report, which focuses on climate change impacts, adaptation, and vulnerabilities, emphasizes the inextricable connection between people and the planet. It states that ecosystem vulnerability and human vulnerability are interdependent.
Our lives will improve if we restore ecosystems and take care of them in the future. Continue to do business as usual. Or neglect the environment. The result is poorer physical and psychological health for people, crumbling infrastructure (buildings, sanitation, transportation, energy) and further societal inequalities.
It’s a hard-hitting read but also includes a call for action: work together and draw upon local and indigenous knowledge.
The report explores the extent and the potential consequences of climate change. The world is warming, and dangerous climate change and extreme weather are having a greater impact on nature and people’s lives. This can be seen both in the deep sea and at the tops mountains, as well as in cities.
Let’s break it down.
There are also the effects of a warming climate on nature itself. Animal and plant species are dying out, or moving to the poles as temperatures rise. Weather events become more extreme and mass deaths can occur for particular species. The report states that some of these losses can’t be reversed and that we are already witnessing the first extinctions caused by climate change.
In Aotearoa, specifically, the report points out that our underwater seaweed forests are in danger due to ocean acidification, marine heatwaves, and hungry fish and other urchins moving in with warmer waters. Although the thought of a forest made of seaweed may not immediately raise your climate flag, they are really quite enticing. ImportantMany other sea creatures can use the site as a breeding ground, food source, habitat, or hiding place from predators.
New Zealand’s melting glaciers are another example. quickest meltersIn the world. They contribute to sea-level rise, but as they recede they could also trigger earthquakes and landslides. The economic impact is also important. These natural wonders are a major source of New Zealand’s tourism dollar. The report also shows that climate change has already had an effect (Covid aside).
People may also be directly affected by changes in the climate. The IPCC report highlights mental health issues that are associated with higher temperatures as well the trauma and life disruption that result from extreme weather events such as flooding.
For the best view of New Zealand’s flood history, look no further than February Westport or any of the other floods. TollClimate change is a threat to communities. They are down and depressed. One Westport resident described how they were barely recovering from the floods that rolled in.
This report demonstrates that climate impacts are not just about. WhereYou live but WhoYou are. It states that climate impacts will be concentrated among the economically and socio-economically marginalised. In many cases, this means indigenous people.
It is similar to the Covid-19 pandemic. Bronwyn Hayward, a professor from the University of Canterbury, co-lead of this report’s chapter on cities, infrastructure, said that it mirrors the experience of previous years. Although all of us will be affected by climate change, we have different capabilities and risks. It is essential to plan for it and to act in the best interests of those communities.
Nicki Douglas (Ngti Whakaue and Ngti Rangiwewehi), who chairs Te Urunga o Kea Te Arawa Climate Change Working Group, states that indigenous efforts to combat climate change have been historically undermined. We have not been able to carry out those cultural practices in a way we can understand, to protect the environment, and to fulfill our responsibilities. Yet, we are the ones who are suffering from the environmental collapse around us.
Douglas points out that, while many marae are located in coastal areas, they are vulnerable to flooding. However, plans for managed retreat must take into consideration the historical, spiritual, and physical connections to that space.
She also points out that losing plant and animal species not only causes a loss of biodiversity, but also causes cultural loss. These species are part and parcel of our whakapapa. They are an integral part of our stories and oral tradition and are deeply woven into the fabric of our story. How can you rekindle these practices if they are gone? How can you reconnect to nature? Some of these stories might be forgotten.
Douglas also points out that the IPCC report echoes long-held indigenous principles regarding the deep people/environment relationship. She states that Ranginui, Papatnuku and whakapapa are not the ones to be discussed when we speak about whakapapa.
This is a view that Aotearoa NZ could adopt. It would be to place our health and well-being in the context of our environment. [acknowledge]It was a part of that.
The IPCC report also noted that climate change, particularly the increase in severity and frequency of floods, droughts, and wildfires, will have a disproportionate effect on farming communities in Aotearoa/Australia.
Farmers face financial losses from the loss of their homes, stock, and buildings as well as the emotional toll that comes with dealing with debts, income uncertainty, and other issues. Mounting pressuresFrom environmental policy and groups. The impact of this on individuals and communities will depend on where they are and what else is happening, their vulnerabilities. Anita Wreford, a Lincoln University professor and lead author on the Australasian chapter in the IPCC report, notes that regulatory requirements and debt are some examples.
As many climate reports have stated repeatedly, the solution for climate change lies in people. This report expands on that idea.
Hayward states that it is not about environmental policy anymore. It’s not just about engineering seawalls, it’s about social policy, the socio-economic wellbeing, income support, education protections, and ecosystem support.
The report states that these policies must draw on or be based on indigenous knowledge. The IPCC’s first report includes contributions from international indigenous groups. Douglas concurs. We have a lot to draw from and we want to share that with the world.
Douglas believes it is important that climate change adaptation and mitigation be iwi-driven. It is being able, for Te Arawa to decide what the solutions are and how innovation or creation looks. Then, what’s the role and responsibility of the government to invest, support and co-invest with us.
Te Urunga o Kea for instance, wants to concentrate on adaptation planning and resilience, biodiversity and circular enterprise and economies.
She admits that there is an inequal relationship between Crown and Treaty partners at the moment. However, she acknowledges that there are significant reforms underway. There are huge opportunities to shift the balance. [colonial]You can look at the bigger picture, but also keep your eyes on the actual issues.
But the window of opportunity to act is closing. The report states that adaptation and resilience are already difficult and will become more difficult over time. There has been too much planning and too little action.
The IPCC now wants governments to collaborate with local organizations, educators, scientists and media to reduce emissions, preserve biodiversity, protect ecosystems, and build climate resilient infrastructure.
The eyes are now on the future Third installmentof the IPCC Report, due after April 20,22, which will be focused on mitigation.