Source: MakeLemonade.nz
Ōtepoti – Seasonally adjusted greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions increased 1.7 percent or 320 kilotonnes in the March 2022 quarter from the December 2021 quarter, Stats NZ says.
By comparison, in the same period gross domestic product (GDP) decreased 0.2 percent.
Electricity generation was the main driver of movement in emissions in the March 2022 quarter.
The largest increases in emissions came from electricity, gas, water, and waste services, up 37 percent (509 kilotonnes); manufacturing, up 2.8 percent (72 kilotonnes); and services excluding transport, postal, and warehousing, up 9.5 percent (62 kilotonnes).
The increase in emissions from electricity, gas, water, and waste services was driven by an increase in the use of coal and natural gas in the March 2022 quarter.
Electricity generation from renewable sources such as hydro and wind dropped from 90.7 percent in the December 2021 quarter to 82.8 percent in the March 2022 quarter.
One of the main sources of fluctuation in New Zealand’s total emissions is the variation in the energy sources used for electricity generation.
The increase and then decrease in renewable share of electricity generation over the last two quarters has continued to create volatility in New Zealand’s overall production of emissions.
The largest decrease in emissions came from agriculture, forestry, and fishing, down 0.8 percent (84 kilotonnes). The second and third largest decreases this quarter were in construction, down 3.3 percent (13 kilotonnes), and mining, down 2.7 percent (9 kilotonnes), respectively.
Total household emissions increased by 1.5 percent (29 kilotonnes, seasonally adjusted) in the March 2022 quarter, mostly due to an increase in household transport emissions, up 2.0 percent (35 kilotonnes).
Household transport emissions still increased from the previous quarter, despite the country entering the covid red traffic light setting on 23 January as the first Omicron community cases were confirmed in the New Zealand population.
Increases were:
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing emissions decreased by 0.8 percent (84 kt).
- Manufacturing emissions increased by 2.8 percent (72 kt).
- Services excluding transport, postal, and warehousing emissions increased by 9.5 percent (62 kt).
- Total household emissions increased by 1.5 percent (29 kt). Total household emissions were largely driven by household transport emissions, which were up 2.0 percent (35 kt).
Household emissions from heating/cooling were down 3.2 percent (5 kt), and emissions from other household sources were down 0.3 percent (0.2 kt). Construction emissions decreased by 3.3 percent (13 kt) and mining emissions decreased by 2.7 percent (9 kt).
Transport, postal, and warehousing emissions increased by 0.01 percent (0.09 kt).
