Climate adaptation
Planning for adaptation now will help us respond to the impacts of climate change.
Building resilience to our changing climate will mean we can better protect our communities, homes, and livelihoods.
Aotearoa New Zealand is already feeling the impacts of climate change. The planet has already warmed by 1°C since 1900. We have seen sea levels rise by 20cm, and we are already seeing more extreme weather events.
Climate mitigation and climate adaptation are two sides of the same coin. Some level of climate change is already baked in due to historic global emissions. We'll need to adapt to that. The slower the world is at reducing emissions, the greater the adaptation burden becomes.
We’ll reduce that adaptation burden if we work hard to reduce global emissions. Working together in our communities, we can prepare and adapt before we experience the worst. Delaying decisions will leave us with fewer choices for how we adapt across Aotearoa New Zealand.
Our role
Under the Climate Change Response Act, the Commission is responsible for delivering:
- Progress reports on the government's National Adaptation Plan every two years.
- National Climate Change Risk Assessments every six years (starting in 2026).