Effects of climate change already being seen in New Zealand

Effects of climate change already being seen in New Zealand, warns new book

Amongst the vast amount of information on the global impacts of climate change, little has been published on how New Zealand in particular will be affected.

In her new BWB Text, award-winning science broadcaster and author Veronika Meduna zeroes in on how climate change is transforming life on these islands.

In Towards a Warmer World: What Climate Change Will Mean for New Zealand’s Future, Meduna assesses evidence from palaeo-climate studies by scientists working in Antarctica and New Zealand, collates recent examples of weather extremes and relates these to changing climate conditions, describes the impacts on flora and fauna, and charts the effects of warming ocean temperatures and rising seas. These case studies, often little-known, reveal climate change not as a theoretical future occurrence but as a rapidly developing phenomenon that is studied and documented every day across New Zealand.

To her credit, and the credibility of her short book, Meduna does not oversimplify climate change and its consequences, instead locating the scientific certainty of measurable and observed impacts within a 'complexity of possible outcomes'. As she points out, these can become 'overwhelming, even paralysing' and, according to Victoria University psychology lecturer Marc Wilson, a sense of powerlessness hinders our commitment to action, as does the challenge of uncertainty.

Rational, calm and refreshingly void of rhetoric, Meduna presents a compelling case as to why, ahead of the looming December climate summit in Paris, actions to tame emissions and to adapt to climate change are essential for our future. We are at a historic juncture, Meduna argues: how will the world of 2100 assess our actions in the months ahead?

ENDS

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