Emissions trends by sector

Read the long description for Trends in New Zealand’s gross greenhouse gas emissions (in million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, Mt CO₂-e) by sector from 1990 to 2019

Figure 5 is a stacked area graph that shows trends in New Zealand’s gross greenhouse gas emissions by sector from 1990 to 2019. Emissions are represented in million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

In particular, it shows:

• The emissions contribution from the Energy sector increased from 23.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 1990 to 34.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2019.
• IPPU emissions have increased from 3.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 1990 to 5.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2019.
• Agriculture emissions have increased from 33.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 1990 to 39.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2019.
• Waste emissions have decreased from 3.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 1990 to 3.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2019.

The emissions contribution from Tokelau is too small to be included in the figure.

Read the long description for Absolute change in New Zealand’s gross greenhouse gas emissions (Mt CO₂-e) by sector from 1990 to 2019.

Figure 6 is a line graph that shows the absolute change in New Zealand’s gross greenhouse gas emissions by sector from 1990 levels to 2019. The change is measures in million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. 

In particular, it shows:

• Gross emissions have increased by over 17 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2005 compared to 1990. Gross emissions then decreased to about 13 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent above 1990 levels in 2010. In 2019, gross emissions were again 17 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent higher than 1990 levels.
• The Energy sector’s absolute change in emissions peaked from 2006 to 2008, at around 11 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent above 1990 levels. In 2019, the Energy sector was higher than 1990 emissions by over 10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.
• The Agriculture sector’s absolute change in emissions peaked in 2005 and again in 2014, with an increase of around 6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent from 1990 levels. In 2019, Agriculture emissions were higher than 1990 emissions by slightly under 6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.
• The Industrial Processes and Product Use (IPPU) sector’s emissions from 1990 have overall increased slightly over the time series. In 2019, the IPPU gross emissions were higher by under 2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent compared to 1990 emissions.
• The Waste sectors’ emissions have increased by less than 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2002, and by 2019 had decreased below 1990 levels by less than 1 million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent.

Emissions from Tokelau are very small and have changed too little to be visible on the graph, which appears as a flat line.

Read the long description for Trends in New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions (in million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, Mt CO₂-e) by sector from 1990 to 2019.

Figure 7 is a line graphs that shows trends in New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions by sector from 1990 to 2019. Emissions are measured in million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. 

In particular, it shows:

• The emissions contribution from the Energy sector increased from 23.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 1990 to 34.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2019.
• Agriculture emissions have increased from 33.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 1990 to 39.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2019.
• Industrial Processes and Product Use emissions have increased from 3.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 1990 to 5.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2019.
• Waste emissions have decreased from 3.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 1990 to 3.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2019.
• The emissions contribution from the Other sector (Tokelau) are very small and have changed too little to be visible on the graph, which appears as a mostly flat line.
• Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry net removals gradually increased from 24.0 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 1990 to 27.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2019.

1990–2019

Between 1990 and 2019, emissions from the Agriculture sector increased by 17.1 per cent. This is primarily due to an 82.0 per cent increase in the national dairy herd since 1990 and an increase in the application of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser of 662.7 per cent since 1990. These increases have been partially offset by decreases in the populations of sheep, beef cattle and deer by 53.6, 15.3 and 17.0 per cent, respectively, since 1990.

2018–2019

In 2019, emissions from the Agriculture sector increased slightly (by around 0.4 per cent). This increase was mainly due to increased emissions from beef cattle and liming (where ground limestone is applied to agricultural soils as fertiliser). Emissions from other contributors fell, such as from sheep, dairy cattle, and urea, but these decreases were not enough to offset the overall increase in agricultural emissions.

1990–2019

Emissions from the Energy sector in 2019 were 44.3 per cent higher than in 1990. Most of this increase came from road transport (an increase in emissions of 96.2 per cent), and the use of fossil fuels for manufacturing and construction. The trend shows emissions increasing until 2005, after which they are relatively stable.

2018–2019

Between 2018 and 2019, emissions from the Energy sector increased by 5.3 per cent. The increase was primarily caused by an 11 per cent increase in emissions from manufacturing and construction.

There was also a 20.8 per cent increase in public electricity and heat production emissions. This increase was primarily due to an increase in natural gas-fired and coal-fired electricity generation in response to lower levels of hydro generation. The increase was partially offset by decreases from domestic aviation and road transportation, which decreased by 55.1 kt CO₂-e (5.1 per cent) and 29.1 kt CO₂2-e (0.2 per cent) respectively.

1990–2019

Emissions from the IPPU sector in 2019 were 42.9 per cent higher than in 1990. The increase was mainly caused by phasing out ozone-depleting compounds under the Montreal Protocol and replacing them with hydrofluorocarbons in refrigeration and air conditioning. It was also due to an increased use of household and commercial air conditioning in New Zealand. In addition, carbon dioxide emissions from mineral, chemical and metal production have gradually increased due to the growth in output.

2018–2019

Between 2018 and 2019, emissions from IPPU decreased by 1.4 per cent. This change was the net result of a decrease in emissions from the product uses as substitutes for ozone-depleting substances category (5.8 per cent), offset by small increases in all other significant categories driven by varying production rates.

1990-2019

In 2019, Waste sector emissions were 16.3 per cent below 1990 levels. Annual emissions increased between 1990 and 2002 because of the ongoing growth in population and economic activity, and have declined steadily since 2004. This is mainly due to ongoing improvements in managing solid waste disposal at municipal landfills, particularly in landfill gas recovery.

2018-2019

Waste sector emissions in 2019 were 48.4 kt CO₂-e (1.4 per cent) lower than in 2018. This decrease is largely the result of decreases in methane emissions in the solid waste disposal category, due to changes in the composition of waste disposed to municipal landfills.

There are two ways of calculating emissions and removals from the LULUCF sector. The first is used for reporting net emissions under the UNFCCC. The second is to report on only a subset of LULUCF emissions and removals in accordance with accounting rules under the Kyoto Protocol (KP-LULUCF). This latter is a method used to track emissions and removals towards New Zealand’s emissions reduction target for the 2013-2020 period. This estimate is referred to as net target emissions.

LULUCF reporting under the UNFCCC

1990–2019

In 2019, the LULUCF sector was a net carbon sink with net removals of 27.4 Mt CO2-e. Yearly fluctuations in emissions and removals from LULUCF are mainly driven by harvesting and deforestation in production forests, and historically variable rates of new forest plantings. 

Removals from the LULUCF sector in 2019 were 14.2 per cent higher than they were in 1990. This change is largely due to:

• improved forest genetics and management practices over time leading to increased carbon storage in plantation forests
• rapid expansion of afforestation in the 1990s
• increase in the production of harvested wood products. 

2018–2019

Between 2018 and 2019, net removals from the LULUCF sector increased by 2.5 per cent (-26.8 to  27.4 Mt CO₂-e). The decrease in emissions was largely due to an increase in the production of harvested wood products. This decrease was partially offset by the increase in emissions driven by land conversion from forest land to grassland. 

Read the long description for Trend in New Zealand’s net emissions (in million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, Mt CO₂-e) from the LULUCF sector from 1990 to 2019 (under UNFCCC reporting).

Figure 8 is a line graph that shows the trend in net emissions  from the Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry sector from 1990 to 2019 (under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change reporting) measured in million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

In particular, it shows:

• Net removals gradually increased from 24.0 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 1990 to 27.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2019.
• A sharp increase occurred between 2007 and 2008 where net removals from the Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry sector increased from 22.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2007 to 29.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2008.
• From 2008 to 2013, net removals decreased from 29.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2008 to 23.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2013.
• From 2013 to 2019, there was a gradual increase in net removals from 23.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2013 to 27.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2019.

For the period 2013 to 2020, New Zealand has taken a target under the UNFCCC rather than under the Kyoto Protocol. This target is to reduce emissions to 5 per cent below 1990 gross GHG levels by 2020, managed as an emissions budget across the period. New Zealand will apply the Kyoto Protocol framework of rules in accounting for its 2020 target under the UNFCCC. To learn more about how New Zealand reports and measures progress towards our targets and other emissions reporting, go to our webpage on New Zealand’s emissions reduction targets.

This means that New Zealand will count net removals from the activities specified in both Article 3.3 and Article 3.4 of the Kyoto Protocol, covering afforestation/ reforestation/deforestation and forest management, respectively. This is a subset of emissions and removals reported for LULUCF under the UNFCCC and is used in the net position report to monitor progress towards our 2020 target.

In 2019, the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Act set into law new domestic 2050 targets including for biogenic methane. Biogenic methane refers to all methane emissions from the Agriculture and Waste sectors (as reported in the Inventory). The current targets for biogenic methane are to reduce biogenic methane emissions by 24 to 47 per cent below 2017 levels by 2050, as well as 10 per cent below 2017 biogenic methane emissions by 2030.