Greenhouse gases down in most regions in 2021 compared with pre-COVID 2019

Greenhouse gas emissions decreased in 10 out of 16 regions between 2019 and 2021, with Taranaki showing the biggest drop in emissions during this period, Stats NZ said today.

Taranaki experienced the largest decrease in total greenhouse gas emissions, measured in carbon dioxide equivalents (CO₂-e), between 2019 (pre-COVID) and 2021, down 1,130 kilotonnes (18 percent), followed by Auckland, down 1,049 kilotonnes (9.7 percent), and Northland, down 781 kilotonnes (16 percent).

“The decrease in emissions in Taranaki was largely due to a decrease in gas being used for electricity generation, followed by decreases in both manufacturing and mining,” environmental-economic accounts manager Stephen Oakley said.

Between 2019 and 2021, emissions in the Taranaki region from electricity, gas, water, and waste services decreased 454 kilotonnes (35 percent). Taranaki’s emissions have been decreasing since reaching a peak in 2017. Between 2019 and 2021, Auckland’s emissions decrease was driven by household emissions, down 471 kilotonnes (16 percent), followed by manufacturing, down 327 kilotonnes (10.2 percent). Northland’s emissions decrease was primarily driven by manufacturing, which was down 687 kilotonnes (34 percent).

Between 2019 and 2021, the largest increases in emissions were from:

• Canterbury, up 355 kilotonnes (3.0 percent)
• Waikato, up 182 kilotonnes (1.1 percent)
• Gisborne, up 64 kilotonnes (4.9 percent).

Canterbury emissions were up largely due to agriculture, forestry, and fishing, up 508 kilotonnes (6.5 percent), because of an increase in dairy cattle numbers in the region.

Much of the volatility in total greenhouse gas emissions within the regions during this two-year period comes from industrial emissions from the electricity, gas, water, and waste services; manufacturing; and transport, postal, and warehousing industries, as well as household transport. Much of this is due to carbon dioxide (CO₂) as other greenhouse gases, such as methane and nitrous oxide, remained relatively stable during this time.

Household emissions decrease in most regions from 2019 to 2021

Household emissions decreased in 11 out of 16 regions during 2019-2021 due to COVID-19-related restrictions. Total household emissions across all regions decreased 853 kilotonnes (9.6 percent) between 2019 and 2021.

The largest decreases in household emissions between 2019 and 2021 came from:

• Auckland, down 471 kilotonnes (16 percent)
• Wellington, down 114 kilotonnes (14 percent)
• Waikato, down 64 kilotonnes (5.6 percent).

“The large decrease in household emissions in this period is due to a general decrease in household transport emissions related to COVID-19 travel restrictions. In 2021, household transport emissions increased a little as lockdown restrictions eased but they are still below 2019 levels,” Mr Oakley said.

Southland has highest emissions per capita in 2021

Southland had the highest total emissions per capita at 60 tonnes CO₂-e due to the presence of emission intensive industries like agriculture, forestry, and fishing, and manufacturing, with relatively low population in the region. Only 2.0 percent of New Zealand’s total population lived in Southland in 2021.

Taranaki had the second-highest emissions per capita at 40 tonnes CO₂-e also due to emissions intensive industries like agriculture, forestry, and fishing; manufacturing; and mining, and a relatively low population. Only 2.5 percent of New Zealand’s total population lived in Taranaki in 2021.

Auckland had the lowest total emissions per capita, at 5.7 tonnes CO₂-e. Auckland has a high proportion of total emissions from manufacturing but comparatively fewer emissions from agriculture, forestry, and fishing, as well as a high population. In 2021, 33 percent of New Zealand’s total population lived in the Auckland region.

More timely regional emissions

This year’s release is the third annual regional emissions statistics published by Stats NZ. Improvements in methodology and the use of new quarterly emissions data means this year’s release includes two years of data (2020 and 2021) instead of one. Provisional data for 2021 is published 11 months earlier than previously possible, delivering a significant improvement in the timeliness and utility of the data.

This release also includes a new interactive application Which industries contributed to your region’s emissions? that shows visualisations of three different metrics, gas breakdowns, and industry contributions by region.