Christchurch to declare climate emergency

Christchurch is expected to this month declare a climate emergency in the wake of a global trend, the T-Tech19 transport technology conference in that city heard on May 6.

Christchurch City councillor Vicki Buck, chair of the innovation and sustainability committee, says it will join about 500 cities globally in making the declaration.

“In Christchurch, our emissions are from transport,” says Buck. “We are quite drastic in that field to reduce fossil fuels and emissions.”

The climate emergency declaration idea was proposed by United Kingdom Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn after public protests by environmentalist group Extinction Rebellion.

Greenpeace is asking the New Zealand government to follow the UK’s lead while the Greens in Australia want the same there.

“We can’t keep the existing transport and fossil fuel options that we have,” says Buck.

Buck says there is a shared fleet of electric vehicles in Christchurch (Yoogo Share has already established an EV fleet there), but the upfront cost of getting EVs has to be overcome.

“We would love to have no fossil fuel vehicles on the road, but there is a capital hurdle. We have to get that down.”

Buck says Christchurch is well suited to future transport trials, such as electric scooters and drones.

It’s already involved in autonomous vehicle testing, the Zephyr Airworks’ pilot-less air taxi trial, electric buses and more.