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Media Release

August 18, 2016

Another climate change milestone for Auckland

Auckland has reached another climate change milestone by meeting international reporting standards for greenhouse gas emissions.

The Carbon Disclosure Project has published Auckland’s emissions inventory which shows the city has managed to minimise emissions increases despite its increasing population.

“This is a small but very significant achievement for us because you would expect a rapidly growing city to experience increased emissions and it’s just the opposite,” says Mayor Len Brown.

“We are beginning to make progress on this immense challenge but of course there is much more to do.”

The inventory shows Auckland’s emissions rose 0.9 per cent between 2009 and 2013 at the same time its population grew by 5.0 per cent. This is a per capita decrease, from 7.6 tonnes to 7.3 tonnes of emissions per person. GDP grew by 8.4 per cent in the same period meaning the emissions intensity of economic activity also decreased.

Publication of the results comes on the same day the government announced its decision to ratify the Paris Agreement on Climate Change by the end of the year.

The Mayor welcomes that decision as an important step saying he looks forward to all of New Zealand accelerating the actions that will make our national commitment a reality.

Auckland Council’s target is for a 40 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 and has already achieved significant reductions as a result of the electrification of rail and in its wastewater and solid waste management.

A council scientist is heading to London next week, funded by the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group which Auckland is a member of, to be part of a technical working group on greenhouse gas measurement.

The group will be developing new measurement tools and guidelines for understanding the climate change implications of city policies and projects.

“This is an exciting opportunity for Auckland to contribute to international climate change action,” says the Mayor.

“If we can accurately measure where emissions are coming from in our cities, then we can make better decisions about where to put our reduction efforts. Working with leading cities around the world, we can bring the latest practice back to Auckland.”

ENDS

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