ORC is in the process of conducting an organisational greenhouse gas emissions inventory. This will allow us to identify what approaches we can take to reduce our emissions as an organisation.
The ORC bus fleet is going electric! In alignment with central government direction, ORC will not be introducing new fossil-fuelled buses into service from 2025 onward. The first electric buses in the fleet have been in operation since February 2024. Further information is available on our Orbus pages.
Projects focused on building the resilience of our communities by helping them to be more prepared and reducing exposure to risk from drought, flooding, wildfire, storms, sea level rise and other natural hazards.
The 2021 Otago Climate Change Risk Assessment (OCCRA) identifies the key risks Otago faces due to climate change. A second Otago Climate Change Risk Assessment is in progress and will provide updated information. More information is on our page for Otago climate change risk assessment.
Climate change is likely to increase flood risks in Otago. ORC owns and maintains flood protection and drainage schemes across Otago to protect our local communities from experiencing the full extent of damaging flood events.
Learn more on our flood protection pages:
South Dunedin Future is a joint programme between Otago Regional Council and Dunedin City Council to find ways to respond to climate change and flooding problems in South Dunedin.
The head of Lake Whakatipu faces multiple natural hazard threats, including flooding, slope-related, and earthquake-triggered hazard events. Climate and landscape changes will increase the potential consequences of some of these hazards.
ORC has developed a biodiversity strategy to identify the biodiversity outcomes we collectively want to achieve for Otago, to inform our projects, and to establish a framework for working with communities and organisations. A second biodiversity strategy is currently in the planning stage.
View data from the Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level (PSMSL), a global data bank for long term sea level change. Data and information is gathered from tide gauges and bottom pressure recorders then made publicly available.
View Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level data
The Otago Regional Council Environmental data portal shares different data about our environment, including the changing distance between the surface of the sea and a set reference level.
ORC is supporting Waitaki District Council in their District Plan review by providing technical support. We contracted the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) to produce a report on the coastal hazards of the Waitaki District. It looks into coastal erosion and inundation, factoring in the effects of climate change and rising sea levels.
This data is available on our Otago Natural Hazards Database, and in the Waitaki district coastal hazards report (2019) prepared by NIWA:
Investigations into the potential effects of climate change on the Clutha delta are ongoing. A programme of technical work including natural hazards assessments and monitoring is currently underway. The purpose of this work is to help develop an adaptation plan in collaboration with the Clutha District Council, and to inform our decisions around flood protection and drainage infrastructure as part of the Lower Clutha Flood Protection and Drainage Scheme.
Read the report:
Projects that use nature-based solutions – such as tree planting and wetland restoration – to remove carbon that has already been released into the atmosphere.
ORC and district councils within Otago have partnered to commission a study on greenhouse gas sequestration across the region. This study will identify where greenhouse gas sequestration is currently occurring and explore to what extent this could be expanded in the future. The study is due to be completed later in 2024.
Climate resilience programme
ORC’s Climate Resilience Programme will help build flood resilience for communities across Otago region.
Otago climate change risk assessment
Climate affects much of what we do in Otago, from horticulture in Central Otago to land drainage in Clutha delta. Climate change therefore does not function separately to the work that we do; it is a key consideration in all that we do. We want Otago's communities to be aware of climate change and will work with them to adapt to its effects on our region.
