Climate Change and the Regional Council

As I attend candidates' events around South Christchurch, I'm gratified to notice that climate change is frequently mentioned by other candidates and the audience, alike.  

Climate change, or rather climate disruption, caused by human use of fossil fuels over the last 150 years is definitely starting to bite.  Here in Canterbury we've seen record rainfall as we have in many places across New Zealand.  Internationally we've seen record fires, record floods and record droughts all of which are playing havoc with our food growing systems.

So what does (and/ or can) the Regional council do to work on the climate change issues?

Public transport

First, we can work to increase the use of public transport.  This needs a mix of helping people to change how they travel around the city, and learning more about where people want to go, when and how to make that happen. At the moment, our system is ok for people trying to get into the city and there are services that travel around the central city area.  What we don't have is much transport within suburbs that allows people to get to local facilities from their homes. For everyone living in my street, for example it is a 20-30 minute walk to the nearest bus stop and a 35-45 minute walk to the nearest stop for buses that take you into the city or to the airport. There are not many good places to leave a bike, so mostly the best option is to take a car to the bus stop, if you don't have time to walk.

Furthermore, we need good transport options for people living in nearby towns - Rangiora, Rolleston, Lincoln, Oxford, Darfield and even Ashburton.   These might include park and ride options both for cars and secure bike parking for bikes, or even the option to bring a bike into the city on a bus or train. It might also mean options for getting around the townships in question. 

Electrifying the public transport network is another important step. This could involve trains - something that seems like a "no brainer" for future Public transport both regionally and interregionally.

Biodiversity

Restoring and protecting native bush and wetlands is an option for helping recoup some of the carbon emitted through fossil fuel use.  This role is shared with other councils but the Regional council can help fund the work done by community groups and farmers.  It also has benefits for water quality, and our native plants and animals, which makes this work very cost effective.

Adaptation 

As the weather changes, we are seeing sea levels begin to rise, and rainfall and drought events become more intense. Sea level related flooding is already happening far more than expected in some places in Canterbury. 

Clearly, we are going to need to adapt and to get people away from vulnerable areas.  We also need to allow our rivers more room to spread out when they flood.  Regional councils and local councils around the country are starting conversations with communities at risk from these changes.    The conversations around this are often quite high stakes for the people involved but decisions can't be made on this issue without the people who are involved.

Other issues

Consents can be quite an issue for regional councils.  At this point in time, for example, councils are unable to withold consents for activities such as coal mining on the basis of how much they will contribute to the problems of climate change.  To refuse a consent they must do it on the basis of the law as it currently stands.  

The work councils do to lobby government on these issues is also important and part of the work that must happen if we are to adapt as quickly as the the world is changing - something that is a really hard ask for our legislative systems and making them too easily changed could also pose problems for projects that need significant investment and long term payback. 

 

 

 

Thoughts on Synthetic Nitrogen

 

Back in the day, long, long ago (!), I learned from my parents, who worked at Lincoln University, about about using clover and lotus species as a means of fixing nitrogen in pasture.  Legumes like clover  or lotus form relationships with soil bacteria which take nitrogen from the air and turn it into nitrates.  The idea was to grow clover in amongst ryegrass as a means to keep the grass growing and to provide feed. 

Along came the 1970s, when the "Think Big" projects got underway. One of these was the Kapuni ammonia urea plant.  For this project to be profitable, farmers were encouraged to use synthetic nitrogen fertilisers (SNFs)  as part of their farming operations. Of course, the result of that along with the development of irrigation, was the intensification of farming – something that has impacted rivers, soils and climate and now we have a problem! 

Farmers have learned to manage the application of urea fertiliser so that it doesn't simply run off into the waterways.  However, the urine produced by the cows is a major issue since we have such high numbers of cows.

It is interesting that, we didn't need synthetic nitrogen fertiliser prior to the 1970s and farms profited by using nitrogen fixing plants to do that work – largely for free.

Second, there have been significant changes in our understanding of soil ecology and our understanding of the importance of the living elements of the soil and the levels of carbon in the soil. Farmers testing out regenerative techniques are building on the sort of things my mum used to teach back in the day and have extended on it significantly.  Farming in this regenerative way is much more about focusing on the health of soil ecosystems as opposed to soil as chemistry.  There are also farmers experimenting with how to do this best in modern cropping systems.

I know some farmers who stopped using synthetic nitrogen many years ago now because of the expense.  They haven't gone back to it and instead use a lower input, lower output model of farming that is better for them, and better for their soils and stock.  Some dairy farmers have found that this lower input/ lower output model also works for them.

At the same time, for farmers with a LOT of debt who have the bank breathing down their necks, making a move to a new way of doing things will be incredibly scary.  Farmers will need good support to shift their farming systems away from using SNFs so that that they can manage their enormous mortgage repayments and their stress levels.