Climate change adaptation legislation and the construction sector

Abstract

Climate change will inevitably, drastically impact the coastal nation of New Zealand. Through literature review, it was identified that much of the existing work in relation to climate change literature, legislation and policy had been focused on mitigation, or carbon emission reduction, and very little had looked toward future-proofing and adaptation processes.

This research paper aimed to answer the research question below:

“Which countries have climates similar to that of New Zealand, what are their climate change and adaptation legislative approaches, and which of these approaches could potentially be adopted in New Zealand in relation to the NZ Construction industry?”

The aim of this research was to purposefully establish an understanding of relevant international adaptation approaches, identify which, if any, could be relevant to the New Zealand context and/or inform potential process change in relation to the construction industry.

This research focused on climate change adaptation; 1) Identification of countries with a similar climate to New Zealand; 2) Document Analysis to identify and analyse international climate change, adaptation, and construction sector legislation processes; 3) Interviews to reflect on, discuss and identify potential approaches to apply to the New Zealand context.

Preliminary findings showed that very few countries are looking toward future adaptation, and even less connect adaptation to the construction industry. Norway’s approach looks to be the most relevant to New Zealand, in relation to technical requirements, moisture management, zoning and flood risks. Interviewees unanimously agreed that our government makeup, culture and current processes may, in fact, require a mixture of adaptation and mitigation strategies.