Climate Change

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Our water systems are at the forefront of climate change impacts. This Special Interest Group’s (SIG) mission is to provide leadership across the New Zealand water sector to enable it to act to limit climate change to 1.5 degrees.  We actively work across all three waters to provide guidance to meet ‘zero carbon’ goals and adapt to the impacts and risks of a changing climate.

Membership consists of professionals working across the water infrastructure supply chain including network managers and operators, consultants, contractors and suppliers. The following sub-committees are responsible for delivery of the work programme:

  • Technical mitigation group. The groups current focus is on wastewater process emissions. The group have collaborated to published Carbon Accounting Guidelines For Wastewater Treatment and are working to develop consistent methodologies for direct measurement of emissions.
  • Low carbon journey. Works to provide a framework and advance initiatives to drive climate change mitigation. To this end the group has produced Navigating To Net Zero: Aotearoa's Water Sector Low-Carbon Journey.
  • Communications. Works to share knowledge and stories that inspire action on climate change issues, using a range of media and events. Webinars hosted by the group are available here.
  • Adaptation. Feeds adaptation issues into other areas work programme.


OBJECTIVES

The Group’s objectives are to:

  • Support all ‘three Waters’ of the New Zealand water sector to achieve climate goals.
  • Work across both mitigation and adaptation.
  • Work in a way that upholds our Treaty of Waitangi partnership responsibilities by engaging with and seeking to understand the perspectives of mana whenua and working to integrate knowledge systems and pathways from Te Ao Māori.
  • Be a focal point of where to find information (including benchmarking and knowledge sharing) to enable the New Zealand water sector to act to meet climate goals.
  • To interact with others (including other parallel / support industries) across New Zealand.


TERMS OF REFERENCE

The Climate Change Special Interest Group’s draft Terms of Reference are here.


GET INVOLVED

To register your interest in joining the committee: Contact our Group’s co-ordinator Katrina Guy.

Chair: Jon Reed