This is New Zealand’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory report for 1990 – 2009. New Zealand’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory is the official annual report of all human-caused emissions and removals of greenhouse gases in New Zealand and is a Tier 1 statistic. The inventory measures New Zealand’s progress against its obligations under the Kyoto Protocol as well as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The inventory reports the emissions and removals of greenhouse gases from six sectors: energy; industrial processes; solvents; agriculture; land use, land-use change and forestry; and waste.
In 1990, New Zealand’s total emissions were 59.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO2-e). In 2009, this total had increased by 11.5 Mt CO2-e (19.4%) to 70.6 Mt CO2-e. This long-term trend is largely due to growth in energy emissions, particularly from road transport and electricity generation.
In 2009, net removals from afforestation, reforestation and deforestation under the Kyoto Protocol were –17.3 Mt CO2-e.
New Zealand’s net emissions are less than the average assigned amount units for 2008 and 2009. We are on track to meet our Kyoto Protocol target.