As the saying goes, ‘first in, first served,’ a lesson climate activists learned when they arrived at a planned roadblock only to find the area flooded.
Undeterred, supporters of Climate Liberation Aotearoa (CLA) stood calf-deep in the floodwaters, holding their messages loud and proud, even though the weather had dampened their efforts.
CLA spokesperson Annabel Hankin said the floods happening in the South Island today were what climate change looked like.
“People in our community are worried about their property and possessions as the water rises, and for this we raise the alarm.
“This is what climate change looks like - more frequent and severe weather, storms, and flooding.
“Right now as Dunedin residents have been evacuated there is another flood happening in Thailand affecting 190,000 people and leaving 49 dead, in the USA Hurricane Helene has taken 212 lives so far, and in 2024 there have been extreme floods in West and Central Africa leaving 1,000 dead and hundreds of thousands of homes destroyed.”
The protest centred on reducing luxury transport emissions, starting with cruise ships. Protesters held signs reading ‘Fast Track to Chaos’ and ‘End Luxury Emissions’.
“Meanwhile our government plans to make things worse with its fast-track approvals bill and by reversing the ban on offshore oil and gas exploration. In doing so it is enabling more CO‚ to be pumped into the atmosphere, which they know will contribute to more and more threatening and dangerous floods as a result of climate change,” Hankin said.
“While concerned Dunedinites rally together and fill sandbags to save the properties of people in their community, we must remember that it is the current actions of Aotearoa New Zealand that are making these floods more severe and deadly. Climate change is here, now. We must act. "
CLA is asking the government to regulate the cruise ship industry by removing all subsidies, banning cruise ships from sensitive natural areas, and including international shipping and aviation in its emissions targets and reduction plan.