Climate Risk score
Climate exposure, hazard frequency, and adaptation context for floods, heat, storms, and wildfires.
Climate Risk in Wellington70/100
Climate Risk
Climate Risk in Wellington
Wellington carries elevated climate risk centered on seismic exposure, coastal storms, and stormwater pressure. Climate Risk in Wellington scores 70/100, placing it in the solid group of the indexed set.
- Last updated
- 2026-05-16
- Data year
- 2025
- Module score
- 70/100
Primary hazard
Seismic and storm
Seismic exposure and coastal storms are the main pressures.
Heat exposure
Low
Maritime climate limits sustained heat stress.
Adaptation capacity
Strong
Engineering capacity supports resilience.
Wellington climate risk data table
This HTML table mirrors the visible score cards so important comparison data is never trapped in a browser-only chart.
| Metric | Value | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Primary hazard | Seismic and storm | Active building-code and adaptation work target these risks. |
| Heat exposure | Low | Heat is a smaller driver than for northern peers. |
| Adaptation capacity | Strong | Public-realm investments are key levers. |
Climate Risk city comparison
A crawlable comparison across a selection of same-country and top-scoring cities. The complete set is reachable via the rankings, the cities index, and each city profile.
| City | Score | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Wellington (this page) | 70/100 | Wellington carries elevated climate risk centered on seismic exposure, coastal storms, and stormwater pressure. |
| Auckland | 70/100 | Auckland faces moderate climate exposure from storms, intense rainfall, and rising sea-level pressure, balanced by active adaptation programs. |
| Tauranga | 70/100 | Tauranga's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Christchurch | 68/100 | Christchurch's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Dunedin | 68/100 | Dunedin's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Queenstown | 68/100 | Queenstown's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Invercargill | 66/100 | Invercargill's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Napier | 65/100 | Napier's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Lower Hutt | 64/100 | Lower Hutt's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Porirua | 64/100 | Porirua's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Hastings | 63/100 | Hastings's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Blenheim | 62/100 | Blenheim's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Hibiscus Coast | 61/100 | Hibiscus Coast's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Upper Hutt | 59/100 | Upper Hutt's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Paraparaumu | 59/100 | Paraparaumu's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Whanganui | 56/100 | Whanganui's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Gisborne | 55/100 | Gisborne's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Palmerston North | 50/100 | Palmerston North's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Nelson | 50/100 | Nelson's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Rotorua | 50/100 | Rotorua's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| New Plymouth | 50/100 | New Plymouth's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Whangārei | 50/100 | Whangārei's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Hamilton | 50/100 | Hamilton's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Geneva | 86/100 | Geneva's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Vejle | 84/100 | Vejle's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Oslo | 84/100 | Oslo carries moderate climate risk centered on heavy precipitation and stormwater pressure, with strong adaptation planning. |
| Basel | 84/100 | Basel's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Nanterre | 84/100 | Nanterre's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Vitry-sur-Seine | 84/100 | Vitry-sur-Seine's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Créteil | 84/100 | Créteil's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
| Vlaardingen | 84/100 | Vlaardingen's climate-risk profile is a directional indicator combining regional hazard categories with national adaptation capacity. |
Interpretation
Climate-risk scoring combines hazard exposure with adaptation capacity. Across the indexed cities the climate risk average is 62/100, so Wellington is 8 points above the median. Data year 2025; last updated 2026-05-16. Drawn from 3 institutional references.
Read this module with the main open the wellington city profile and the read the scoring methodology page so single-topic pages do not hide tradeoffs across dimensions.
Structured indicators on this page are directional and intended for orientation. Verified datasets are being integrated; official sources should be used for critical decisions.
Sources
3 institutional references inform this view, listed below with reliability notes. Structured indicators on this page are directional and intended for orientation; verified datasets are being integrated and official sources should be used for critical decisions.
- IPCC: AR6 WGII Chapter 6: Cities, settlements and key infrastructure
Used to explain urban climate vulnerability and adaptation scoring logic.
- NASA: NASA POWER
Used as an energy-resource and weather-normalization reference.
- UN-Habitat: World Cities Report 2024
Used as a policy and methodology reference for urban exposure and resilience signals.
Continue exploring
These links connect module pages back to city, ranking, and sibling topic paths with crawlable href values.
Wellington city profile
Return to the complete Wellington profile with all module scores and source context.
Cost of Living in Wellington
Affordability, essential costs, and day-to-day financial pressure for residents.
Air Quality in Wellington
Health-oriented air-quality conditions with context from WHO, EEA, and EPA benchmarks.
Energy in Wellington
Clean-energy readiness, grid resilience, and solar or efficiency opportunity signals.
Safety in Wellington
Personal safety, institutional trust, and resilience signals informed by international safety and crime data.
Internet Speed in Wellington
Broadband and mobile connectivity quality, latency, and digital-readiness signals for residents and remote workers.
Overall Intelligence
A balanced ranking of cities across affordability, air quality, clean-energy readiness, and resilience.
Quality of Life
Cities that combine strong services, mobility, safety, clean air, and resilience into a healthy day-to-day profile.