Hawke’s Bay Regional Council and 3R Group, with the support of Napier, Hastings, Central HB and Wairoa Councils are teaming up to hold a business event bringing attention to the impact of accelerated climate change.

The event, part of a wider initiative called Climate Action HB, will explore what business needs to do to transition Hawke’s Bay to a low emissions economy.

Climate Action HB: Business CoLab on 25 November will focus on the business community, bringing it together to be more connected and focused on meeting the challenges and opportunities of accelerated climate change in our region.

Regional Council Chief Executive James Palmer says the council’s role in managing the region’s environment and natural hazards demands that it also takes a leadership role in the region’s response to climate change. “Climate change affects everyone and must be addressed by all Hawke’s Bay communities facing it together. This event is the beginning of a long and ongoing journey for the region. I’m excited to have all our councils working together and showing leadership to our communities on this issue.”

3R Group Chief Executive Adele Rose has recently returned from the Climate Reality Project Australia leadership training and is a signatory to Climate Leaders Coalition. She says whether you believe climate change is occurring in a natural cycle, or that it’s accelerating due to global carbon emissions from human impact, we cannot deny that Hawke’s Bay as a major food producer and exporter is already experiencing impacts of rapid changes in our environment.

“Our people that are negatively impacted are typically those that are less empowered to adapt, therefore it lands at the feet of business owners in Hawke’s Bay to work alongside our councils to lead change,” she says.

The Regional Council announced a climate emergency in June and this event is part of the organisational and region-focused work under action to address climate change.

3R Group is a member of the Climate Leaders' Coalition, launched in July last year to promote business leadership and collective action on the issue of impact of accelerated climate change.

The predicted impacts of climate change on Hawke’s Bay include a rise in temperature, fewer frosts, more frequent and more severe droughts with greater fire risk, increased rainfall and flooding intensity, drier winter and spring, and sea level rise resulting in coastal erosion.

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