New Zealand’s Gross Greenhouse Gas Emissions 78.8 Million Tonnes In 2020 

New Zealand’s gross greenhouse gas emissions were 78.8 million tonnes of CO2-e in the year ended December 2020, 20.8 percent higher than in 1990, Stats NZ said today.

The indicator New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions measures greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions which have resulted from production activity in New Zealand territory from 1990 to 2020. Emissions from the different greenhouse gases are shown in carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e) units. Changes in emissions in relation to three points in time are shown: the start of the timeseries (1990), a 2005 reference period, and the previous year’s emissions (2019).

Climate change is primarily caused by the accumulation of GHG emissions in the atmosphere due to human activities. In 2020, New Zealand’s gross GHG emissions were made up of carbon dioxide (43.7 percent), methane (43.5 percent), nitrous oxide (10.7 percent), and fluorinated gases (2.0 percent).

“Gross emissions in 2020 were 3.5 percent lower than in 2019, primarily due to decreased road transport emissions,” environmental and agricultural statistics senior manager Michele Lloyd said.

Also being released today are the following air quality indicators, which have been updated to include the latest World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines:
 

• Carbon monoxide concentrations
• Ground-level ozone concentrations
• Sulphur dioxide concentrations
• Nitrogen dioxide concentrations
• PM10 concentrations
• PM2.5 concentrations
   

Visit our website to read this news story in full and view the updated indicators:

• New Zealand’s gross greenhouse gas emissions 78.8 million tonnes in 2020

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