The jellyfish are taking over from ordinary fish, we are told. The sea level's rising, coastlines are under attack from the oceans; and there are more violent storms and droughts.

The science on global warming – and the human contribution to it – is becoming increasingly clear, according to the Tauranga Carbon Reduction Group.

'So how do we get local body election candidates and ratepayers engaged on global warming? How do we get a decent public debate on this crucial issue?” asks the group's Gray Southon.

Gray says he thought it was the role of would-be elected representatives to enable the public – 'ignorant people like me” – to discuss and understand the complex issues which affect us.

But when Gray went along to a mayoral candidates meeting this week and pitched a question on global warming to the would-be mayors, he says very little was said and the moderator quickly moved on to the next question.

'One candidate told me later the matter was just all too hard.”

So Gray and his group went to each of the mayoral candidates with a two-question survey. How would they rate the importance of defining a response to climate change in Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty, low, medium or high? And the big one, what strategies and actions would the mayoral candidates have to respond to climate change?

Six out of the 10 candidates responded. Gray was delighted with that. But while all of them said climate change was of medium to high importance, there is very little about it in their election publicity blurbs.

'Tauranga should have a policy to cope with the changes presented by climate change,” says Gray.

'Sydney, which also has an ocean-focused culture, has been working on it for 20 years while we are just starting to think about it.”

Gray says it's an urgent and important issue at a time when so many of us want to live beside the sea.

'We are just committing to a major housing development east of Papamoa at Te Tumu – an area equivalent to the entire Tauranga isthmus – which is very susceptible to global warming with a river on one side and an ocean on the other.

'Do we decide to abandon the investment we have already made there?”

Gray says there's the acidification and eutrophication of our seas, the reduction of emissions, levels of consumption, what we eat and the impact of dairy and 'the enormous area of freight, how we move stuff”.

'There are lots of issues and the politicians need to engage with the public on them. The candidate's observation that it's just too hard doesn't help.”

Gray says it's about what responsibility we are prepared to take towards the corrective cause.

Six candidates responded to the group's survey; Greg Brownless, Kelvin Clout, Max Mason, Steve Morris, Noel Peterson and Graeme Purches.

Question one: How would you rate the importance of defining a response to climate change for Tauranga and the Western Bay? Low, medium or high? Why?

Greg Brownless: I rate the importance of defining a response to climate change for Tauranga and the Western Bay as medium because I see the next question about strategies and actions as being of higher importance than simply defining a response. It is very easy to spend a lot of effort, time and money on policy then to go on and achieve nothing. The Paris Conference of 2015 saw a privileged assortment of both genuine leaders, hypocrites and despots fly in on their private jets to pontificate about climate change whilst possibly thinking that not changing their bathroom towels for a day somehow showed they were progressive. One has to ask why the whole conference could not have been held via video links, thereby eliminating the need for travel, air points, feeding extravaganzas and sight-seeing. The real change will be brought about by family groups who practice conservation and recycling in their own lives, much like in the frugal way some of our grandparents lived well before climate change was topical.

Kelvin Clout: High, as we are a coastal community subject to rising sea levels, increased flooding and droughts. Our residents and industries are highly susceptible to the impacts of climate change. As most of the world's population is now urbanised it is up to local governments, such as Tauranga City Council, to help lead the fight, rather than relying solely on central government initiatives or imposed regulations.

Max Mason: Currently medium because we need to balance how we address a range of other issues, concerns and opportunities for our local community. In a few years after we have addressed these, elevate the importance.

Steve Morris: I would rate this as a medium priority for the city council. Climate change is here and it is a reality; therefore it can't be a low priority. Given the effects of climate change and the mitigation required in terms of land-use out beyond 2100 there isn't a quick nor easy fix. It is an inter-generational issue; a long term commitment is necessary. It shouldn't be high priority because ending the discharge of raw sewage into the harbour, maintaining a secure and quality water supply and congestion in the traffic network are acute issues within a much smaller ten year time frame.

Noel Peterson: The immediate thought that comes to mind is now is the time we must act with positive moves toward reversing the effects of climate change on a personal and city level as quickly as we possibly can. The existence and urgency to respond now to climate change no longer needs to be debated, the facts are irrefutable, if we don't act now to halt further climate damage we risk an uninhabitable earth, in fact have a very limited time opportunity to get on with some positive changes, hard words perhaps to pay attention to, but pay attention we must, for the sake of our and future generations.

Graeme Purches: We have some areas that may be at risk of sea level change, so ensuring we are aware of those areas and preparing for that is important. In terms of actions to influence climate change, we need to ensure that decision reflect a desire to reduce emissions and absorb carbon.

Question two: What strategies and actions would you promote to respond to climate change?

Greg Brownless: There is very little productive land within Tauranga itself. Rather the land is taken up with households. It therefore stands to reason that promoting self-sufficiency, conservation, recycling and efficient use of transport will have the most impact within our city. Our own household for example, produces about one bag of waste every six weeks. Other than that we recycle our ‘waste' on site. I would promote recycling, promote family and community gardens, liaise with the regional council to ensure public transport optimisation, encourage a switch to hybrid vehicles as the whole of life cost becomes affordable and promote awareness of environmentally friendly options when building or renovating. These are the actions I have considered so far but there are no doubt others that will come to mind.

Kelvin Clout: Post-election I would seek to continue to budget for an ‘Environmental Sustainability' department within TCC. I would promote building regulations to encourage sustainable materials and processes, and lower ‘whole-of-life' energy costs. Any new council administration building, libraries, museum etc to be at least four green stars, preferably five green stars. I would introduce more effective rate-payer funded rubbish and recycling system, to minimise waste to landfill, complete our network of urban cycle ways and walkways and ensure sufficient cycle-parking facilities exist throughout the city. I would take more responsibility for the timetabling and routing of public bus services and investigate commuter rail utilising existing rail infrastructure. Build community resilience to the effects of climate change, and ensure residents understand the risks of building on coastal strips and low-lying land, encourage a network of community gardens across the city providing environmental and social benefits. In conjunction with the private sector build a network of EV charging stations and work with tangata whenua to better utilise multiple-owned Maori land for environmentally sustainable housing and business enterprises.

Max Mason: Personal example is important for any leader. I have an electric vehicle to reduce carbon emissions, and am a trustee of EnvirohubBOP and I recycle, reduce and reuse as much as possible. I will support all current council climate change strategies and actions, and seek better waste practices.

Steve Morris: Long-term land-use planning such as raised floor levels, and even managed retreat from some parts of the city due to rising sea levels and the increased risk of storm surge from weather events need to begin now. Indeed the unconstrained development area in Te Tumu (the next green-field subdivision east of Papamoa) is only around 50 per cent due to the new requirements under the regional policy statement to be further back from the beach and Kaituna River margin. In existing areas there are tough decisions to be made. Do we mitigate the effects of climate change by costly infrastructure solutions in storm water, levees, etc? Or do we surrender these places? I suspect the former rather than the latter despite the cost.

Noel Peterson: The reality is many folk are unaware of the situation or unable to make many major changes in their lives to make a rapid transition toward climate change mitigation, and unfortunately a few folk deny there is a problem.

To help change this situation I would suggest as a priority, local government in collaboration with the local climate action group take a more active role in promoting and educating the local community about the actions individuals and the community as a whole can take, there is a wide range of options both large and small we can all take that can happen quickly, we just need to be united as a community to do so. Local government also needs to find pathways and solutions to creating a smooth rational shift to clean transport technology, electric vehicles and an efficient clean technology based public transport system as quickly as possible, also enable the development of alternative energy sources, such as solar panel power generation, we will need all the power generation we can produce as electric vehicles come into regular everyday use.

Graeme Purches: A mayor is but one voice around a table of 11, and sorting out council so that it is better able to respond to the communities wishes, that the community better understands what council is doing, and the elected members are melded into a cohesive team working together with staff and the community are key priorities for me. Climate change responses should be better able to rise to the surface if we can create that environment. But until I am elected, and have sorted that stuff out, I am afraid I cannot promise anything.

Larry Baldock, Murray Guy, Hori Leaming and John Robson did not respond to the survey.