Transport drives households’ carbon footprint up

Household transport emissions increased by 2,069 kilotonnes (15 percent) between 2011 and 2017, Stats NZ said today.

This led to an overall increase in household emissions of 3,576 kilotonnes (9.1 percent).

New data released today by Stats NZ on consumption-based greenhouse gas emissions shows that while the direct use of fuel by New Zealand households is significant, it represents just over half of the total transport carbon footprint of households.

Indirect transport emissions, which arise from the extraction, refining, and transport of fuel before its use, and household use of other modes of transport such as air, water, and rail, are becoming an increasingly significant part of the total transport carbon footprint of households.

“These findings highlight the ‘hidden’ role households have in driving emissions,” environmental-economic accounts manager Stephen Oakley said.

Households contributed 71 percent to New Zealand’s total carbon footprint in 2017. Transport accounted for 37 percent of the carbon footprint of households, food and non-alcoholic beverages contributed 25 percent, and housing and household utilities, which included the use of electricity, contributed 12 percent.

“This new data shows that the choices households make contribute significantly to New Zealand’s carbon footprint,” Mr Oakley said.

The increase in the carbon footprint of households from 2011 was driven by increases in both population and expenditure per capita, offset by falling emissions intensity (emissions in relation to expenditure). From 2011 to 2017, the household carbon footprint increased by 1.5 percent a year (compound annual growth rate). Over the same period, expenditure per person increased by 2.5 percent a year and population increased by 1.5 percent a year. In contrast, emissions intensity decreased by 2.4 percent a year over the same period.

New Zealand is a net exporter of emissions

In 2017, New Zealand’s consumption-based emissions were 60,024 kilotonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents. The consumption-based approach allocates all emissions associated with production and distribution of a good or service throughout its entire supply chain to the point where it is used by a final consumer, such as a household, or in investment, such as new buildings.

This approach accounts for the emissions embodied in trade (including imports and excluding exports). New Zealand is a net exporter of embodied emissions as its consumption-based emissions were significantly less than its production-based emissions from 2007 to 2017.

Text alternative for Flow of greenhouse gas emissions from production to consumption, 2017.

Export emissions were mainly from agricultural products, which have a high proportion of embodied methane and nitrous oxide. New Zealand’s imports were mostly manufactured goods, which contain mainly embodied carbon dioxide.

“Adding consumption and trade dimensions gives a more complete picture of how our participation in the global economy drives emissions,” Mr Oakley said.

“This release extends the suite of New Zealand’s emissions statistics to present the role of producers and consumers in driving emissions.”

This new data from Stats NZ has been compiled following a report by the New Zealand Productivity Commission in 2018 on a low emissions economy that highlighted a need for more information in this area.

The report suggested that better information on emissions embodied in goods and services could help shape consumer choices towards low-emissions options.

About the data

Estimates of New Zealand’s carbon footprint are part of the Greenhouse gas emissions (consumption-based): Year ended 2017, which presents data on New Zealand’s carbon footprint and emissions associated with trade, based on consistent principles and concepts with production-based emissions.

Emissions are expressed in carbon dioxide equivalents, which are the emissions of greenhouse gases weighted by their 100-year global warming potential (GWP). The GWPs are based on those from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Fourth Assessment Report, 2007.

This release is the third in Stats NZ’s recent suite of GHG emissions reports, following June’s release of Greenhouse gas emissions (industry and household): Year ended 2018 and July’s release of Greenhouse gas emissions by region (industry and household): Year ended 2018.

This first release of consumption-based emissions is provisional. Revisions to the time series are expected as the methodologies are improved over time.

While some countries produce consumption-based emissions estimates there are no internationally agreed methodological standards. Therefore, caution is advised in comparing across countries given differences in either scope or methodology.

For more information see About consumption-based greenhouse gas emissions statistics and Approaches to measuring New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Text alternative for Flow of greenhouse gas emissions from production to consumption, 2017

Image is of a Sankey chart, a type of flow diagram where the width of an arrow is proportional to the flow quantity. This chart shows how emissions from the production of goods and services (from the emissions production account) shown on the left side of chart, align (flow) to consumption emissions (emissions generated as a result of what we consume), on the right side. The industries that produce emissions are listed on the left: agriculture, forestry, and fishing; mining; manufacturing; electricity, gas, water, and waste services; construction; transport, postal, and warehousing; services excluding transport, postal, and warehousing. Households also produce emissions directly, for example, through cars burning fuel, and are also included on the production side. We also consume imports. Imports are included on the left as an input to consumption emissions. Final users/consumers of what we produce and import are listed on the right: households; government; non-profit institutions serving households; gross capital formation; and exports/foreign consumers.