What are we doing?
Environment Southland is working with regional partners on a response to climate change in partnership with Southland’s three other councils – Gore District Council, Invercargill City Council and Southland District Council.
Inter-agency group
A Regional Climate Change Inter-agency Group made up of tangata whenua representatives, elected representatives, and key staff, of all councils in the region is working collaboratively to ensure we are tackling the issues at a regional level.
The priority for this group is to develop the Regional Climate Change Strategy. This work will provide key information for the development of each council’s Long-term Plans, driving Murihiku Southland’s long-term response to climate change.
The inter-agency group will make recommendations to councils, including considering climate change impacts into planning processes, agreeing on areas where councils can work together and talking to communities about potential impacts of climate change in the region.
Each council is also developing plans to address climate change impacts specific to their own communities and areas.
Organisational greenhouse gas emissions baseline project
- Environment Southland is developing an organisational Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions baseline measurement to understand the emissions we produce from our day to day operations
- This project will also establish the associated systems for ongoing measurement, reporting and management, once the baseline is determined
- Environment Southland play an important role in climate change action in Southland, and this project is a key step in demonstrating our efforts to staff, stakeholders, businesses and our wider communities.
Net zero target
In April 2023, Environment Southland councillors adopted an organisational target to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Net zero means cutting greenhouse gas emissions to as close to zero as possible, with any remaining emissions being offset through actions like planting trees.
Climate Change Sub-committee
The Climate Change sub-committee, which meets once every two months, consists of six councillors as well as a mana whenua representative and will report to the Strategy and Policy Committee on its progress.
Its objectives are to:
- to help drive Environment Southland’s action on climate change.
- report to the Strategy and Policy Committee on its progress.
Climate Resilience Projects
Environment Southland is engaged in projects to help ensure vulnerable towns in our region are more resilient for the future. In Waihōpai Invercargill, we are collaborating with Invercargill City Council on projects to bolster the city's flood protection in response to a changing climate. These projects will build greater resiliency in the face of climate change for our communities and critical infrastructure.
See our Climate resilience projects.