Dr Mike Hilton of the University of Otago will discuss the economic and ecological cost of rising sea levels for Otago. He anticipates the loss of complete ecosystems such as coastal wetlands and some agricultural land will be threatened by salinity. In addition there will be a need to protect public infrastructure including roads and drainage systems. Dr Mike McGlone of Landcare Research at Lincoln will speak about how the predicted climate change will impact on our plant life. Dr John Campbell of the University of Waikato will discuss how human behaviour is contributing to climate change and how they are affected by it.
Admission is free.