Greenhouse Gas Emissions: December 2023 Quarter

The quarterly greenhouse gas emissions account provides timely estimates of New Zealand's gross production-based emissions, using estimates from the annual greenhouse gas emissions by industry and household account and indicators to estimate emissions on a quarterly basis.

Key facts

Seasonally adjusted total emissions were down 0.5 percent, or 105 kilotonnes (kt), in the December 2023 quarter.

• Electricity, gas, water, and waste services emissions decreased 18.4 percent (356 kt). This was driven by a decrease in the use of natural gas for electricity generation in the December 2023 quarter.
• Transport, postal, and warehousing emissions decreased 2.6 percent (44 kt).
• Manufacturing emissions decreased 1.7 percent (39 kt).
• Agriculture, forestry, and fishing emissions decreased 0.4 percent (36 kt).
• Services excluding transport, postal, and warehousing emissions decreased 2.1 percent (14 kt).
• Construction emissions increased 0.8 percent (4 kt).
• Mining emissions increased 10.6 percent (30 kt).
• Total household emissions increased 3.2 percent (67 kt). Total household emissions were largely driven by household transport emissions, which were up 3.3 percent (62 kt). Household emissions from heating/cooling were up 1.7 percent (3 kt), and emissions from other household sources were up 3.6 percent (2 kt).

Industry and household greenhouse gas emissions by gas type

Note: Emissions from methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases are expressed in carbon dioxide equivalents (CO₂-e). Seasonally adjusted emissions values are not additive and therefore do not sum to the total for all industries and households.

Between the September and December 2023 quarters, seasonally adjusted emissions (for all industries and households):

• decreased for methane by 33 kt (0.4 percent)
• decreased for nitrous oxide by 11 kt (0.6 percent)
• decreased for carbon dioxide by 6 kt (0.1 percent)
• increased for fluorinated gases by 3 kt (0.8 percent).

Methane and nitrous oxide emissions largely come from primary industries (such as agriculture and mining).

Goods-producing industries such as manufacturing, construction, and electricity, gas, water, and waste services, were the largest contributors to carbon dioxide and fluorinated gas emissions.

Emissions and GDP

In the December 2023 quarter, gross domestic product (GDP) fell 0.1 percent and industry emissions, excluding households, fell 1.1 percent (189 kt).

The relationship between emissions and GDP over time depends on several factors, including the composition of the economy and the emissions intensities of industries.

Definitions and metadata

Greenhouse gas emissions (industry and household): December 2023 quarter - DataInfo+ gives information on the methodology underlying the data and outlines revisions made in this release.

Quarterly greenhouse gas emissions (industry and household) sources and methods presents the data sources and methods used for producing all the quarterly emissions accounts, including Greenhouse gas emissions (industry and household): December 2023 quarter.

Upcoming changes to our greenhouse gas emissions accounts

Stats NZ's greenhouse gas emissions accounts apply the 100-year time horizon global warming potential (GWP100) values from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC's) Fourth Assessment Report (AR4), in alignment with the Ministry for the Environment's New Zealand Greenhouse Gas Inventory.

From 18 April 2024, the New Zealand Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) will apply the GWP100 values from the IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report (AR5), to comply with international greenhouse gas reporting standards. As a result, all Stats NZ's greenhouse gas emissions accounts will also switch to AR5 (to maintain alignment).

On 30 May 2024, Greenhouse gas emissions (industry and household): Year ended 2022 will be the first Stats NZ emissions account to be released on an AR5 basis. This will be followed by Greenhouse gas emissions (industry and household): March 2024 quarter on 23 July.

We will publish a paper on 8 May 2024 outlining this change and the implications on our emissions reporting.

Technical enquiries

Adam Tipper
04 931 4944
[email protected]

ISSN 2703-5263

Next release

Greenhouse gas emissions (industry and household): March 2024 quarter will be released on 23 July 2024.