The Legislative Response to Climate Change in Aotearoa New Zealand and Germany: Lessons from Abroad?

The direct impacts of climate change will predictably cause further cascading systemic repercussions, like destabilising national and international security, economic and trade disruption, migration pressures, food insecurity etc. – all with far-ranging consequences for societies. These are neither risks of a distant future, nor are these limited to developing countries. Arecent report, for instance, lists Germany as one of the countries most affected by extreme weather events in 2018; a reality which became tragically apparent in July 2021, when an unprecedented flood devastated parts of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia and killed 107 people. Aotearoa New Zealand – situated on the other side of the planet – is also affected in terms of changes to temperature, rainfall and sea level rise. The impacts of the climate crisis cause increasing concernwithin the island nation reliant on primary production8and tourismformuch of its economic wealth.

Autor: Lena Kohlrausch und Dr. Bjørn-Oliver Magsig