New Zealand greenhouse gas emissions fall 3.5%

Wellington, April 4 New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions decreased 3.5 per cent, or 696 kilotonnes, in the September 2022 quarter, the country's statistics department said on Tuesday.

According to Stats NZ, the fall in emissions follows successive increases over the previous three quarters and was driven mostly by significant reductions in the electricity, gas, water, waste services and the manufacturing industry, which decreased by 26 per cent compared with the June quarter, reports Xinhua news agency.

"The fall was mostly due to a smaller share of fossil fuels being used to generate electricity, and a higher share of renewable energy sources," said the department's environmental-economic accounts manager Stephen Oakley.

Most notably, hydroelectric generation increased 29 per cent over the September quarter, geothermal was up 2 per cent, and wind-generated electricity reached its highest-ever level after increasing by 9.7 per cent, Oakley said.

Over the same period, gross domestic product (GDP) for the electricity, gas, water and waste services industry grew by 3.1 per cent, he said, adding that manufacturing emissions decreased for the second quarter in a row.

Over the June and September 2022 quarters, transport emissions rose by 9.9 and 9.3 per cent, respectively, due to the gradual ease of the Covid-19 restrictions.

However, emissions from the tourist-sensitive hospitality and accommodation industries decreased over these quarters, Oakley said.