Communities and Climate Change cartoon

Abstract

Some low-lying communities in Aotearoa New Zealand are already being affected by increased flooding, coastal erosion and higher water levels. Over time, more communities will be affected and the impacts will worsen. But there is still a lot of uncertainty about how bad it might get and the timeframes. The Government, iwi, councils and researchers are starting to work on how to respond to this huge challenge. But one thing is clear—affected communities will need to be involved in determining the way forward.

In this cartoon we are wanting to show how devastating it can be when individuals and families start to be affected by climate change, but also the strength that communities can have when they come together to identify solutions that will work for them.

This cartoon forms part of the research findings of the Climate-Adaptive Communities project of the Deep South National Science Challenge. We have drawn from the stories and insights shared with the research team by community members, iwi members and council staff.