Climate rescue bus on the way

PRESS RELEASE

November 6 2007 -

A major new national climate campaign rolls into Southland tomorrow, in the form of the Be The Change Bedford bus and a wide range of everyday solutions to climate change.

The Be the Change campaign - and associated nation-wide bus tour - aims to get tens of thousands of New Zealanders active in tackling climate change.

The Climate Rescue Bus will join forces with people like Stacey Russell at Te Runaka o Awarua in Bluff who are already tackling climate change, "We ran the Healthy Homes Project to enhance the well-being and health of the Bluff community, and the environment." said Russell.

The Healthy Homes project began in November 2005 and is one of New Zealand's most ambitious every home energy makeover schemes.

Spearheaded by Greenpeace, Oxfam and Forest & Bird, Be The Change provides advice and encouragement to community groups and individuals on how they can reduce their personal impact on the climate.

Via its website – www.bethechange.org.nz - the campaign has already attracted hundreds of New Zealanders in its forst few days who’ve pledged to make changes in their lives and share their experiences with others.

The campaign was launched on October 26th in Auckland by personalities Robyn Malcolm and Francesca Price, and will be taken around the country over the next six weeks, starting in Bluff tomorrow, and finishing in Whangarei on December 12th.

The bus runs on biodiesel sourced from tallow (a byproduct of meat production) and everything onboard runs on solar power. It includes a mobile exhibition of impacts and causes of climate change, an opportunity to learn about everyday solutions, and a web centre where people can sign up on the spot to Be The Change.

An open day will be held in Invercargill on Thursday. See below for details.

“There are already a lot of people around New Zealand doing great things,” says Be the Change campaigner Jo McVeagh. “Be The Change aims to capture and showcase these initiatives and highlight a growing movement of people who care about climate change, in order to inspire others to take action.

“The risk is people think the climate change problem is too big. It’s not. Every little bit helps and once you get a whole lot of people making small changes, it really makes a difference. This really is an all-hands-on-deck. We're all in this together so we all need to be involved in the solutions.”

Contact: Be The Change communications officer Michelle Thomas 021 577 556

LOCAL OPEN DAY
Invercargill: Thursday, 8 November, 10am- 5pm. In the middle of the main road.
Dunedin at the Octagon 10-5pm 10th November
SOUTHLAND AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate change is said to be the single biggest threat that’s ever faced civilization. One of the reasons for this is that it affects every person and organism living in every country on every continent, Southland included.

As a result of climate change, Southland is predicted to experience more rainfall and an increase in the number and variety of pests.

Climate scientists estimate that Southland's temperature could be up to 2.5°C warmer over the next 70-100 years. This compares to a temperature increase in New Zealand during last century of about 0.7°C.
Southland could be up to 30% wetter with more varied rainfall patterns, and flooding could become up to four times as frequent by 2070. Climate scientists also predict an increase in the severity and frequency of storms and coastal flooding.

The effects of climate change may bring significant costs to the community. As extreme weather events become more frequent or severe, the costs and damages associated with them will increase. The cost of dealing with stock losses, replacing or repairing damaged roads, bridges, houses and stormwater drains, and dealing with increased soil erosion and loss of soil nutrients can be formidable.

Sea level rise is virtually certain to cause greater coastal inundation, erosion, loss of wetlands, and salt-water intrusion into freshwater sources, with impacts on infrastructure, coastal resources and existing coastal management programs.

Tourist attractions such as Stewart Island will also be affected. By 2020, climate change is predicted to reduce the plant and animal diversity in some of New Zealand’s richest ecological areas such as this. The sub Antarctic islands for example are home to over 125 species of seabirds and penguins, some of which are only found in this region.
– sourced from http://www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/climate/about/climate-change-affect-regions/otago.html and the IPCC report