Many schools on New Zealand coasts are at risk of flooding, finds Climate Change Commission. Image by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash.
<h2><span data-contrast="auto">Many of our schools are currently, or will soon be, at risk of flooding from sea-level rise, found a new report from the Climate Change Commission (CCC). </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></h2>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Detailed data analysis </span><a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/533393/the-hundreds-of-schools-at-risk-from-coastal-flooding-in-major-storms-caused-by-climate-change" target="_blank"><span data-contrast="none">from RNZ</span></a><span data-contrast="auto"> found 77 schools are already considered at risk of coastal inundation should a one-in-100-year weather event occur. </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">With a 20 cm sea-level rise, which NIWA predicts will occur within decades in some areas, the number of schools at risk of coastal inundation rises to over 100. </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><a href="https://www.schoolnews.co.nz/latest-print-issue/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><b>Read the latest print edition of <em>School News</em> online HERE.</b></a></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">The schools in Napier, Thames-Coromandel and Buller are deemed to be most at risk from sea-level rise. </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><b><span data-contrast="auto">Schools already adapting</span></b><span data-contrast="auto"> </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Colville School is a small school in the Coromandel that is deemed at risk from sea-level rise. The school sits close to the foreshore.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Principal Susie Sumner told RNZ that the school has already experienced a number of severe weather events which caused road closures, power outages and flooding. Sumner said the school was regularly forced to close due to power outages until they secured funding for a backup generator, which their community now relies on. </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">It’s just one example of how the school has begun to adapt to climate change. </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<figure id="attachment_32496" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32496" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img class="size-medium wp-image-32496" src="https://www.schoolnews.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/AdobeStock_63087635-300x191.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="191" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-32496" class="wp-caption-text">Scenes like this may soon be commonplace for schools near coastal areas. Image: AdobeStock by CasanoWa Stutio</figcaption></figure>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">“When we’re making plans we’re ensuring that whatever is put in place within our 10-year property plan, our five-year property plan&#8230; like putting a swing set in, is that we’re making a choice as to, ‘Ok, if this needs to be moved in future, are we going to be able to do it or is this the best place to put it?’” says Sumner. </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">She said that climate change and related weather events “is an everyday part of life and learning in our community.” </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><b><span data-contrast="auto">Climate change and education</span></b><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Extreme weather events are being driven in-part by climate change, and severe weather is now becoming more common. That means “one-in-100-year&#8221; events are </span><a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/no-longer-one-in-one-hundred-years-experts-say-it-s-time-to-plan-for-disasters-20220706-p5aziu.html" target="_blank"><span data-contrast="none">happening more frequently</span></a><span data-contrast="auto">. For context, Cyclone Gabrielle was considered a </span><a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/cyclone-gabrielle-in-auckland-scientists-simulate-a-direct-hit/TRBSIQNGCBD3TIKUHTDBAEIXY4/#:~:text=Niwa%20didn't%20consider%20that,moving%20slowly%20over%20central%20Auckland." target="_blank"><span data-contrast="none">one-in-200-year event.</span></a><span data-contrast="auto"> It caused widespread disruption to schools in the region, with many acting as emergency centres and many classes faced ongoing displacement. </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">It’s now being recognised that climate change </span><a href="https://www.unesco.org/en/right-education/climate-change-displacement" target="_blank"><span data-contrast="none">poses a threat to education.</span></a><span data-contrast="auto"> Climate change creates many barriers to education including displacing vulnerable populations, saturating school capacity, destroying education infrastructure, exacerbating existing poverty and driving drop-out rates.</span></p>
<p><strong><a href="https://www.schoolnews.co.nz/latest-print-issue/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Term 4 edition of School News is out now. Read it HERE.</a></strong></p>
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