Climate change panel

What are some of the effects of climate change? How can we deal with them? A panel of five will give their perspectives on cities, transport, farming, managing waste, plastic, buildings and food at the Wellington Go Green Expo on both Saturday and Sunday at 4pm on 9 and 10 November.

The overuse of fossil fuels in industrial agriculture has contributed to a climate crisis,” stated Claire Bleakley, one of the panellists who will speak about farming. An organic farmer, she recommends adopting regenerative and organic methods that don’t use pesticides and artificial fertilisers that come from fossil fuels. “Genetic engineering and gene editing are not the answer either to our climate crisis,” she said. “These methods are imprecise, and not enough is known about their effects on us and the environment.”

“All of us must come to the party in order to cut emissions and absorb carbon as we transition to a zero carbon world,” said Professor Ralph Chapman, another panellist who will speak. He is Director of Environmental Studies at Victoria University of Wellington. “Transport and food are two of the biggest drivers of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions,” he said. “I congratulate the Government and James Shaw in particular for passing the Zero Carbon Bill into law, an important first step. However much needs to be done, and urgently. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change requires all carbon emissions to be cut within a decade.”

The panel: Associate Professor Ralph Chapman (Saturday), Melanie Vautier (Sunday), Victoria University; Claire Bleakley, organic grower; Polly Griffiths, Sustainability Trust; Eleanor West, NZ Green Building Council; Alison White, Safe Food Campaign.

© Scoop Media