Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Without immediate, bold, and decisive action, we will continue to see the impacts intensify, and the world inherited by future generations will look increasingly different to the one we know today. Fortunately, there is still a window of opportunity for us to act.

 

Our climate is a result of patterns in temperature, rain, wind, and sunshine. A stable climate is critical to the health and wellbeing of people and our planet. 

When we use fossil fuels like petrol, oil, and gas in our day-to-day activities (like transport and using power), carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are released and act like a blanket, trapping heat in our atmosphere. This heat disrupts our climate, causing climate change. 

Climate change is causing: 

  • rising temperatures
  • increased wildfires
  • increased drought
  • extreme weather events including storms, hurricanes, and cyclones
  • sea level rise in coastal areas
  • flooding. 

 

Latest climate change projections  

The Ministry for the Environment has developed a climate projections map for Aotearoa New Zealand to explore how the climate may change over time. The Ministry has also developed a dashboard for each territorial authority — check out Hamilton’s here.   

 

Find out how climate change affects Hamilton

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Last updated 24 January 2025