Westpac NZ agribusiness climate change report

Abstract

Climate change is an increasingly important concern, both globally and in Aotearoa New Zealand. Changes are already being felt in the natural environment, the economy, and communities. The agricultural sector faces risks both from a changing climate, as well as through efforts to reduce its contribution to climate change through greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This report presents the summarised findings of research commissioned by Westpac and carried out by the Agribusiness and Economics Research Unit (AERU) at Lincoln University (New Zealand), examining the physical and transition risks and opportunities presented by climate change to New Zealand’s primary sector (focusing on dairy, sheep/beef, and horticulture) to the middle of the century, as well as the sector’s vulnerabilities and potential actions to address the effects of climate change.