As New Zealand begins the long, costly task of clearing up after Cyclone (飓风) Gabrielle cut a disastrous path across much of the North Island on Feb 12 and 13, finger pointing has started.
The cleanup and rebuilding may take years, and even longer in remote parts, with costs running into the billions of dollars.
What made the cyclone worse for New Zealand was that it followed nearly a week of heavy rain in late January that caused the worst flooding in the nation's history.
Green Party leader James Shaw delivered a speech on Feb 14, saying: "I struggle to find words to express what l am thinking and feeling about this particular crisis. I don' think I've ever felt as sad or as angry about the lost decades that we spent arguing about whether climate change was real or not, whether it was caused by humans or not, whether it was bad or not, whether we should do something about it or not, because it is clearly here now, and if we do not act, it will get worse."
Shaw's speech highlighted the growing concern in New Zealand and across the world on the increasing effect of climate change on global weather patterns.
A lecturer in the University of Auckland said it was high time the country moved away from passive responses to natural disasters and adopt an active approach.
"In the next decades down to the end of this century, we expect that ocean temperatures will steadily climb and extreme events will become more common, serious and long-lasting," a marine expert said. "The actual trajectory(轨迹), however, depends on how society will deal with the climate change challenge."
