A series of pleas were issued, including that funding be secured to decarbonise Moana Pool, more ambition shown to improve housing stock with insulation and clean heating and a Dunedin climate resilience centre be set up.
Members of 350 Ōtepoti, Extinction Rebellion and Seniors for Climate Action Network were at a council meeting yesterday to press for local action.
The council is expected to debate its zero-carbon plan next month and 350 Ōtepoti member Nicola Campbell told councillors the community backed viable action in the proposed plan.
"We can produce our own renewable energy, we can stop burning gas to power our community’s favourite pool and we can install heat pumps and upgrade insulation to ensure everyone in Dunedin lives in a warm, dry home," she said.
The plan has yet to be made public, but provisional modelling for it was disclosed in a draft council submission to the government about tourism that was discussed and approved at yesterday’s meeting.
Modelling suggested emissions from road transport would need to be cut by 39% relative to a 2018-19 baseline year, overall marine emissions would need to be reduced by 40% and emissions from aviation should be cut in half.
Extinction Rebellion member Jenn Shulzitski told councillors New Zealanders misunderstood how best to fight climate change, believing recycling was the No1 solution, when it ranked 60th.
The 350 Ōtepoti group advocated for the Green Island landfill to be transformed into a solar farm.
Discussing the tourism submission, Dunedin deputy mayor Sophie Barker was pleased to see promotion of a regenerative model, considered a sustainable approach to managing tourism.
Cr Barker asked for stronger wording in the submission to advocate for inter-regional passenger transport options as well as for re-establishment of the Ministry of Tourism, which is now part of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.
"When we look at decarbonisation, it’s really important to actually have mass transport," she said.
Cr Lee Vandervis, who voted against the council’s submission, doubted upgrading the rail network would be a viable venture.
He also expressed doubt growing tourism could be achieved at the same time as decreasing emissions.
Dunedin Mayor Jules Radich said alternatives to motor cars needed to be convenient and he advocated for a "loop tram" in the central city.
