Climate action or more hot air?

New Plymouth District Council has responded to the mounting pressure from citizens and youth to do something about climate change. Its new Climate Action Framework sounds good, but unfortunately lacks substance.

The ‘ten specific work areas’ offer few real actions, but ‘conversations’, ‘engagement’, ‘communication’, ‘collaboration’ and integration of climate change into council documents.

As ‘immediate initiatives’, the framework proposes the development of a business case for purchasing a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle and another for co-financing a hydrogen refuelling station.

But there is no rational environmental or economic argument for light hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Producing and storing green hydrogen will require more new renewable energy than battery electric vehicles (BEV) need.

The efficiency of a light hydrogen vehicle is less than half of a BEV’s.

Why even consider buying a Hyundai Nexo at a hefty $120,000? Just to become the first council to have a hydrogen vehicle in its fleet? At least there is a fund for community initiatives.

How about funding for community-run, smart, renewable, micro-grid systems that power carbon neutral homes and shared BEVs?

In 2019, Nelson City Council allocated $254,000 for climate change projects and another $500,000 as reserve for potential climate initiatives.

Our Mayor’s proposed $350,000 for climate projects over three years falls well short. We need urgent, transformative action to reduce emissions and consumption, and build societal resilience and adaptation.

We don’t have the time or luxury for paying lip service or inappropriate technologies.

Catherine Cheung Okato