Moves by the Mayor and Councillors to declare a climate change emergency are a sham and a cheap pre-election stunt says Guy Burns, the Deputy Chair of the Paraparaumu Raumati Community Board.
“Basing a climate change emergency on eroding coastlines is a completely false argument. I can remember clearly the massive damage caused to seaside properties in 1976. Similar events occurred in 1954 and 1957; it wasn’t called climate change then, people called it coastal erosion. Our shoreline used to be near the railway line and has shifted due to earthquake activity. The last big quake of 1855 uplifted coastline in the Wellington area up to 4 metres in places.
“Declaring a climate change emergency is a smoke-screen to hide the systemic failure of Council allowing residential buildings near the coastline. We are now paying the price for bad choices made a long time ago.
“A far more effective strategy for Council is to encourage ratepayers to make tangible steps towards sustainability. Promoting such things as composting, bikes, walking and home recycling would be useful. A reliable source tells me Councillors are still continuing to drive to their meetings. If there was an emergency, I would expect Councillors to urgently change their energy-use footprint.
“It’s no coincidence the declaration is being made a few months out from this year’s elections. Obviously the Mayor and his supporters are hoping to attract the votes of the climate change lobby.
“This is my view and not of the Raumati Paraparaumu Community Board as a whole.”
Guy Burns
Deputy Chair Raumati Paraparaumu Community Board
04 9040789 021 2624645