Climate Action Plan
Our Climate Action Plan will guide local action to help our district adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change. You’ll find the plan here along with our key priorities and regular updates as our communities rise to the challenge of tackling the climate emergency.
According to the 2018 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report, we have less than a decade to act until the effects of climate change are irreversible. Now is the time to stop talking about climate change and to start taking climate action.
Climate Action Plan 2019 - 22
On 27 June 2019, the same day as the draft version of this Climate Action Plan (CAP) was approved for public feedback, Queenstown Lakes District Council declared a climate and ecological emergency.
The Climate Action Plan was adopted on 12 March 2020 and will help guide local action as we all rise to and meet the challenge of the climate change emergency.
As a Council, we’ve embarked on a journey towards a major organisational behaviour shift which will lead the way for residents and business communities. Part of this means ensuring climate change considerations are reflected in decision making, policy setting, projects and service delivery.
This Climate Action Plan is the first of many for our district. It starts to identify ways in which we can reduce emissions and sets a strategic direction for adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change. It incorporates feedback that we received on the draft plan and is designed to remain flexible as we gain a greater understanding of the challenges we face and the technological advances that will help us develop potential solutions.
How will we deliver the plan?
Our role in climate action is to focus on being:
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Bold, progressive leaders
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Collaborators with the community
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Agents of change
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Effective public servants
Outcomes
The Climate Action Plan is intended to provide an overview of QLDC's actions over the next three years and is structured according to five key outcomes.
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Keystone Action: Measure the district's GHG emissions and develop an emissions master-plan with science-based targets, and an emissions reduction toolkit.
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Keystone Action: Develop transformational options for net-zero emissions public transport.
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Keystone Action: Utilise appropriate eco design and low impact principles in all QLDC community and operational property projects, including thorough consideration of timber construction.
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Keystone Action: Undertake a study of the potential health and wellbeing implications of climate change in the district, in preparation for future action planning and resilience-building activity.
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Keystone Action: Work with the tourism system to become a net zero carbon and zero waste destination. Become the most sustainable tourism system in New Zealand.
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Climate Action Updates
Further information
The 2019 Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report has been developed to provide an assessment of the estimated greenhouse gas emissions for the district for the 2019 calendar year. The assessment has been prepared by Tonkin & Taylor, who were also responsible for our 2017 GHG Inventory Report.
Prepared by Bodeker Scientific for QLDC, this report provides an analysis of both historical and projected changes in the climate of the district. Understanding projected changes to climate and potential impacts is vital for effective adaptation planning.
Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) has established an independent, multidisciplinary Climate Reference Group (CRG) replete with relevant experience to support the delivery of its Climate Action Plan.
In late 2020 a study was conducted to evaluate a feasible pathway for achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 across the Queenstown Lakes District. This study, Emissions Reduction Roadmap, presents a detailed set of options for reducing CO2 emissions across various sectors within the district over the next thirty years.
A Carbon Sequestration Study was undertaken in late 2020 to explore our ability to capture and store atmospheric carbon within the Queenstown Lakes District. This study focusses primarily on biological sequestration (e.g., forests and vegetation) and evaluates both the potential and the challenges associated with our unique topography.