The West Coast Regional Council announced in January that, in their opinion, climate change is not affected by human induced emissions, and so will not support the government climate change bill.

I invite the Chief Executive of the West Cost Regional Council to do some financial analysis on climate-related contingent liability risk to Council assets, and assets owned by their rate payers. In other words: this community is very exposed to substantial climate-related risk that is already (and will continue to be) very costly to its people, its farms and its economy.

This may help the West Coast Regional Council come to a similar realisation to that of Pacific Island countries who (like the West Coast) have not been major contributors to global emissions but (unlike the West Coast Regional Council) have done their climate science homework, and are showing considerable policy leadership by advocating strongly for emissions reductions globally and climate change adaptation support locally.

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