New zealand

INTRODUCTION:
You’re never more than 130 km from the sea in New Zealand, which has 18,000 km of coastline. It’s also a land of mountains, lakes and rivers, native forests, and farmlands. Because the country was isolated for millions of years, unique native flora and fauna, such as flightless birds, have evolved. The variety, beauty and accessibility of these natural features are central to NewZealand’s identity, and attract thousands of tourists every year.
MAIN PROBLEMS:
Climate change
Climate change is a worldwide concern. Governments, including our own, have recognised the contribution of human activity to changing climatic conditions, and have agreed to take action.
Climate change impacts in New Zealand Human activity is increasing the natural level of greenhouse gasesin the atmosphere causing Earth to warm up and the climate to change. The effects of a warming planet and disrupted climate pattern are already becoming evident. Looking out over the next 30-40 years, the effects of climate change, and the response to it, presents a major national and global challenge. The cost of doing nothing about climate change could be high, impacting upon our environment,economy and society. Some climate change is already inevitable, but with significant greenhouse gas reductions now the catastrophic effects of climate change may be avoided.
In New Zealand likely climate change impacts include:
higher temperatures, more in the North Island than the South, (but still likely to be less than the global average)
rising sea levels
more frequentextreme weather events such as droughts (especially in the east of New Zealand) and floods
a change in rainfall patterns - higher rainfall in the west and less in the east.
These changes will result in both positive and negative effects. For example:
agricultural productivity is expected to increase in some areas but there is the risk of drought and spreading pests anddiseases. It is likely that there would be costs associated with changing land-use activities to suit a new climate
people are likely to enjoy the benefits of warmer winters with fewer frosts, but hotter summers will bring increased risks of heat stress and subtropical diseases
forests and vegetation may grow faster, but native ecosystems could be invaded by exotic speciesdrier conditions in some areas are likely to be coupled with the risk of more frequent extreme events such as floods, droughts and storms
rising sea levels will increase the risk of erosion and saltwater intrusion, increasing the need for coastal protection
snowlines and glaciers are expected to retreat and change water flows in major South Island rivers.The Ministry for the Environment is currently providing local government with detailed scientific, technical and policy guidance as well as case studies on how to plan for the potential impacts of climate change.
The Ministry for the Environment is continuing to study the economic implications of extreme weather events and climate change, provide guidance to specific sectors on the likelyeffects of climate change and response options, and to identify business opportunities that may arise from climate change.
International Forums and Agreements
The world, through the United Nations, has recognised that we must take steps immediately to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions which cause global warming and climate change.
Key International fora and Agreements are;Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Kyoto Protocol
International bilateral partnerships
International climate change policy
The international response to climate change has included the following:
the first World Climate Conference recognised climate change was a serious problem in 1979
a number...