New Zealand's total greenhouse gas emissions fall 1.8 pct

New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions decreased 1.8 percent, or 340 kilotons, in the December 2022 quarter, according to the statistics department Stats NZ on Thursday.

The fall in emissions was driven by the electricity, gas, water and waste services industry, the manufacturing industry, as well as agriculture, forestry and fishing, Stats NZ's environmental-economic accounts manager Stephen Oakley said.

Quarterly emissions statistics provide timely estimates of New Zealand's gross emissions produced by industries, as part of their production processes, and by households, through their use of things like private vehicles and heating, Oakley said.

In the December 2022 year, industrial emissions accounted for 88.5 percent of total emissions with households contributing the remaining 11.5 percent, he said.

Emissions from the electricity, gas, water and waste services industry decreased 18.9 percent in the December 2022 quarter, following a 25.4-percent reduction in the September quarter, statistics show.

"The fall in quarterly emissions was largely driven by a further increase in the proportion of renewable energy sources being used to generate electricity, and the corresponding drop in the share of fossil fuels being used for this purpose," Oakley said.

Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment statistics show that the share of renewable energy sources increased to 94.7 percent in December 2022, a level not seen in decades, with a historically low proportion of gas and coal being used to generate electricity.

The electricity, gas, water and waste services emissions series, which began in March 2014, fell to its lowest recorded level, Oakley said.

Household emissions decreased 1.9 percent in the December 2022 quarter, driven by a 2.5-percent fall in private transport emissions, statistics show.

For the year to December 2022, greenhouse gas emissions fell 3.1 percent, Stats NZ said.

Also on Thursday, the New Zealand government announced to partner with Fonterra, New Zealand's largest dairy producer and exporter, to cut coal use at six Fonterra dairy factories, halving its manufacturing emissions by 2030, the same as taking approximately 120,000 cars off the road.

"By partnering with Fonterra to reduce emissions we're helping to maintain New Zealand dairy's competitive edge, as international consumers and food manufacturers demand further climate commitments," said Prime Minister Chris Hipkins at Fonterra's Hautapu site in the North Island.