Former Auckland Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse says we need a moratorium on motorways

Former Auckland Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse says we need to make 'radical' changes to our infrastructure to combat climate change - including a 'moratorium on motorways'.

"We have to make some monumental change and change fast and that is around transport. If I had my way, we'd have a moratorium on motorways," she told Newshub Nation today.

"We don't need any more. All respect to people who think we do but we don't... We cannot wrangle our emissions unless we're prepared to make a radical and transformative change,"

The Auckland Councillor says the moratorium is just one of many changes needed to respond to our warming climate, including moving away from coastal areas.

"We're going to have to make some really big decisions about the managed retreat from coastlines."

Earlier this month the International Panel on Climate Change Commission(IPCC) issued a dire warning we must act before 2030, to avert passing the global threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius.

The IPCC warns passing this threshold could mean the complete eradication of coral reefs and a significant increase in the risk of extreme heat and poverty affecting hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

Ms Hulse has previously announced that she will not be standing for re-election for Auckland Council next year -  ending a 27-year career in local politics come October 2019.

Newshub Nation.

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