A Sea Change is Needed For Adapting to Sea-Level Rise in Aotearoa New Zealand

Journal article

Naish, Tim, et al. A Sea Change Is Needed For Adapting to Sea-Level Rise in Aotearoa New Zealand. 2024. https://doi.org/10.26686/pq.v20i4.963

Abstract

Sea-level rise is accelerating globally and will continue for centuries under all shared socio-economic pathways. Although sea-level rise is a global issue, its impacts manifest heterogeneously at the local scale, with some coastal communities and infrastructure considerably more vulnerable than others. Aotearoa New Zealand is poorly prepared to deal with sea-level rise impacts, and some places are already approaching the limits of adaptation, short of relocation. Maladaptive choices threaten Aotearoa’s ongoing ability to adapt going forward. Development of climate-resilient pathways requires an immediate adoption of non-partisan, long-term, system-scale approaches to governance and decision making (from local to national), that integrate effective adaptation and emissions mitigation. This also requires proactive and collective action underpinned by indigenous and actionable knowledge (e.g., NZ SeaRise projections) designed for our unique circumstances. There is still time to put in place sustainable, equitable and effective solutions, but funding and governance models need urgent attention.

Our Changing Coast researchers

Related stories

• A Sea Change is Needed For Adapting to Sea-Level Rise in Aotearoa New Zealand
• Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR): reports from meetings in Chile 19-25 August, 2024
• Argentina & New Zealand in Antarctica Multilateral Diplomacy & Scientific Collaboration
• Lessons from a decade of adaptive pathways studies for climate adaptation
• Uncertain Pathways to a Future Safe Climate