The council needs to place ‘‘much greater'' emphasis on reducing emissions and adapting to the changed environment that will come with sea level rise.
Blueskin Resilient Communities Trust chairman Scott Willis highlighted the devastation that would be caused by sea level rise in the coming decades.
Given the ‘‘very frightening'' potential consequences from the 50cm sea-level rise predicted by 2050, the council needed to invest any spare money it had in reducing emissions and adapting for the changed environment, Mr Willis said.
It was more important for the council to invest in ‘‘managed retreat'' from sea level rise than to respond to coastal erosion.
He asked that the council waive fees for some of the work the trust was doing, including some resource consent fees associated with its Blueskin Bay wind turbine proposal.
