Far North receives recognition for action on climate change

A commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions has earned the Far North District Council one of twelve New Zealand local authority awards.

The awards were initiated through the Communities for Climate Protection - New Zealand Programme (CCP-NZ) and were presented by Ministry for the Environment acting Chief Executive Howard Fancy at a special recognition event in Wellington earlier this month.

The event was jointly hosted by ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability -Oceania (previously International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives) and the Ministry for the Environment.

Economic Development spokesperson for the FNDC Ian Bamber said the council was actively committed to sustainable development, including mitigating the potential impact of development on our climate.

"In the foreseeable future, the consequences of climate change for the district are likely to be significant, and there are obvious benefits to be derived from taking action to reduce our carbon footprint."

The council had recently joined the CCP-NZ Programme, confirming its commitment to begin reducing greenhouse gas emissions within the Far North.

"We will be compiling an inventory of the emissions produced by the council’s own activities and the activities of local residents and businesses to identify areas where greenhouse gas emissions reductions can be made," Cr Bamber said.

Within the CCP-NZ programme, councils and communities use the results of the inventory to establish realistic goals and action plans for reducing emissions.

Chief Executive for ICLEI Oceania Wayne Westcott said participating councils were demonstrating the multiple benefits of the programme through numerous climate change actions that had substantial flow-on benefits for communities.

“Local government has a significant and legitimate role in reducing New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions," he said.

There are currently 31 local and regional councils participating in the CCP-NZ programme around New Zealand, covering over 80% of the population.