Rainfall Records Shattered In Auckland, New Zealand - It Wasn’t Even Close
ForbesJUN 2023
New Zealand and its people have already seen the carnage that climate change can bring. In response to the frequency and magnitude of these events, New Zealand has released its first national plan designed to protect against climate-catalyzed events. While there is tremendous work to be done, this plan and its framework are a new beginning and a step in the right direction.
While plans are a step in the right direction, New Zealand's decades-old stormwater system is outdated and can't handle the climate of today. It's necessary to make "brick and mortar" investments in bigger drains and larger pipes while also creating a more spongy surface environment to reduce catastrophic flood risk. Global warming puts more water vapor in the air, so real construction-based solutions need to begin now.
It's easy to dismiss any extreme weather event as a consequence of climate change, but in reality, they're usually influenced by a myriad of factors that have nothing to do with it. More research is needed before we can establish any direct causal link between the two.