Le Cahier Bleu

Keeping us the greatest

Dans un contexte ou la crise climatique commence a se faire reellement sentir un peu partout dans le monde, je reflechis a ce que Wellington pourrait ou devrait faire pour devenir une ville verte a l'horizon 2030.

Le 17 Décembre 2018 - Tags: opinion, scoop


Our city is the greatest on the planet. It has everything one can hope for, without compromise. It’s compact. It is embroiled in Nature, and getting out is easy. It is peaceful, and yet, when one looks for entertainment, Wellington is spoiled with options: cafes, restaurants, concerts and events. The city is vibrant, and its communities welcoming, friendly, inviting. Jumping to another city, in New Zealand or overseas, is simple, and affordable. Employment is high and there seems to be opportunities for many, migrants or natives. The melting-pot is inclusive and respectful. No wonder why this capital is so sought after: it is a jewel.

But things are changing, mostly due to demographic pressure and intense economic growth. These challenges are asking for a great understanding of what makes Wellington so wonderful, so special, to preserve this fragile balance and not becoming yet another big centre. These considerations should not get in the way of development, but demand for smart, creative ways to ensure we, as a community, do the right thing, in the right order. Timing is everything, especially considering the immense pressure human is putting on the planet worldwide, threatening its very existence: economic growth can’t afford to be at Nature’s cost anymore, and Wellington should not be spared from this constraint. If anything, it should be a model, its size allowing it to be take bold decisions and show the world development can be executed in harmony with Nature, not at its expenses.

Some measures are set at a country level, and rightly so, in order to transition to a sustainable economy. Update to building code to make houses more energy efficient, planting of trees, accomplish 100% renewable power production and tomorrow maybe, incentives for electric powered vehicles are steps in the right direction. They ensure this transition is fair and achievable, regardless of income levels. It is utterly wrong that poorer households continue to suffer the consequences of pollution while wealthier families get access to cleaner vehicles. These programs need to be echoed at a local level to address specifics of each city and each town.

For Wellington, economic and demographic growths should be addressed in a managed and sustainable manner. To start with, a clear, transparent and solid plan for phasing out diesel buses should be established, with proper metrics for the public to measure progress. All diesel buses should be gone by 2025. Not only such transition is good for the environment (and, by extension, us), the health and well-being of residents, it is an immense opportunity for local businesses too.

All forms of active transport should be promoted and supported, such as biking. With traffic increasing steadily, riding a bike is rightly so perceived as being dangerous. Promoting cycling can easily be achieved by providing users safe, protected corridors to commute and the Wellington City Council is already on a journey to deploy more of them. Countries from Northern Europe are often cited as models which have given ample priority to this form of clean, quiet way of transportation, with countless benefits for those on their bikes and for those around.

The runway extension should be put on hold, or simply blocked, until we get guarantees no additional kerosene-powered planes are added to the daily air traffic. Planes flying on renewable fuel or on batteries, once available, would be welcome, and the runway extension would become relevant again. Under current circumstances, the runway extension would come at tremendous costs to local residents, with a probable lift of the curfew for international flights. Bigger, louder, more polluting planes would land and take-off, more often, creating a constant nuisance to everyone in town, especially on the Eastern suburbs. Wellington is amongst the very few cities in the world where the airport is right in the fabric of the town. This should be acknowledged by ensuring it doesn’t expand further until way quieter, cleaner planes are available.

Cities worldwide have announced bans on petrol powered cars and trucks for inner city, with clear timeframes. Wellington too should set a goal to ban all ICE vehicles by 2030. This would have unprecedented benefits for the residents: less pollution, less noise, less stress, for everyone. The environment, as a whole, would benefit directly from these efforts and our lifestyle would stop fuelling wars in the name of oil. Because our energy is already generated 80% from renewable resources, our emissions would consequently be cut by a factor of 5, and completely disappear by the time our energy mix comes from 100% solar, wind and hydro.

Naturally, this transition to electric modes of propulsion should be extended to ships on the water. The technology is available today and we, as a community of people, should signal the industry it is time to provide customers with electric options. There too, a ban on non-electric powered vessels should be established, as it is already the case on water bodies in Europe, to a similar horizon than the one for ICE cars.

All these measures focus on transport, the biggest source of pollution and health hazard in Wellington. But of course, focus should be put on all source of pollutions. Water does not seem to be much a problem in Wellington, but waste recycling is. It is important that through recycling programs appropriate to the type of waste (especially plastic and batteries), need for landfill can almost be completely eliminated.

This list of policies would not be complete if it didn't touch on biodiversity. In Wellington, the rise in bird numbers and bird types is clearly astonishing, thanks to the efforts of the communities and the council. This, however, does not happen by accident. Tighter predator control and thorough habitat protection are key to this surge that should be encouraged. It is now common to see kererus, tuis, fantails, all contributing to an enchanting soundscape we should all feel proud of. This should invite us to closely monitor the building/construction plans. The fast-tracking of resource and building consent implemented by the council, while a response to housing needs, should not come at the expense of the biodiversity, nor Wellington’s character or people’s well-being. Light touch buildings and houses, intertwined in greens and trees, connected to a clean, sustainable, reliable and affordable public transport network should be our aspiration, should be the Wellington we are trying to build.

These objectives, while ambitious, should be embraced and supported by our politicians, thus setting clear principles, targets and framework for our city to grow. It would set an example, not only to the rest of the country, but also to the rest of the world. It would inspire residents and businesses to work towards a future we can aspire for, where everything that makes Wellington so vibrant, so unique, remain, for us and generations to come.

- Benoit -