Professor James Renwick on why New Zealand must reach zero emissions to stop global warming

Wellington climate scientist and former IPCC lead author Professor James Renwick gave a stark talk at Victoria University on the urgent need to cut carbon emissions. He noted that annual CO2 emissions have nearly doubled since 1990 to 40 trillion tons and that past emissions remain in the atmosphere for centuries. Renwick stressed that tree planting alone cannot absorb current emission levels and that stopping fossil fuel use is the only path to zero gross emissions. Renwick warned that New Zealand already faces extreme weather events costing about a billion dollars and that without a national adaptation plan for managed retreat, communities will face chaos. He pointed out that only 3 percent of disaster spending goes to preparedness while 97 percent goes to cleanup. Insurance companies are already pulling out of high-risk areas, making homes uninsurable and unsellable. Despite the dire outlook, Renwick remains optimistic that humans can stop emitting greenhouse gases and halt global warming. He called for more resources and public discussion on the transition to a zero-emission economy. The full video of his speech is available online.