New Zealand’s total greenhouse gas emissions
By gas, 1991–2021, kilotonnes of CO2 equivalent
| Year | Gas type | Kilotonnes of CO2 equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions without net CO2 from land use, land-use change and forestry | 26,182.47029146 |
| 1991 | Methane (CH4) emissions without net CH4 from land use, land-use change and forestry | 32,800.72589504 |
| 1991 | Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions without net N2O from land use, land-use change and forestry | 5,780.583692222 |
| 1991 | Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) | 0 |
| 1991 | Perfluorocarbons (PFCs) | 903.789872 |
| 1991 | Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) | 20.862 |
| 2001 | Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions without net CO2 from land use, land-use change and forestry | 34,378.54033072 |
| 2001 | Methane (CH4) emissions without net CH4 from land use, land-use change and forestry | 35,725.71456866 |
| 2001 | Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions without net N2O from land use, land-use change and forestry | 7,228.703405835 |
| 2001 | Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) | 332.1851124344 |
| 2001 | Perfluorocarbons (PFCs) | 70.6103 |
| 2001 | Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) | 20.03673322304 |
| 2011 | Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions without net CO2 from land use, land-use change and forestry | 34,265.07214564 |
| 2011 | Methane (CH4) emissions without net CH4 from land use, land-use change and forestry | 34,111.92304975 |
| 2011 | Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions without net N2O from land use, land-use change and forestry | 7,529.394737957 |
| 2011 | Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) | 1,145.666383303 |
| 2011 | Perfluorocarbons (PFCs) | 35.15173295685 |
| 2011 | Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) | 18.9397799183 |
| 2021 | Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions without net CO2 from land use, land-use change and forestry | 34,318.00297654 |
| 2021 | Methane (CH4) emissions without net CH4 from land use, land-use change and forestry | 33,019.3455812 |
| 2021 | Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions without net N2O from land use, land-use change and forestry | 7,937.596756288 |
| 2021 | Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) | 1,483.222544108 |
| 2021 | Perfluorocarbons (PFCs) | 50.688454051 |
| 2021 | Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) | 15.73086960678 |
Definitions
LULUCF: Land use, land-use change and forestry. A greenhouse gas inventory sector that covers emissions and removals of greenhouse gases resulting from direct human-induced land use, land-use change and forestry activities.
CO2: carbon dioxide
CH4: methane
N2O: nitrous oxide
HFCs: hydrofluorocarbons
PFCs: perfluorocarbons
SF6: sulphur hexafluoride
Gross emissions: comprise greenhouse gas emissions from all sectors excluding LULUCF.
Net emissions: comprise greenhouse gas emissions and removals from all sectors including LULUCF. Net emissions are lower than gross emissions because the LULUCF sector currently removes more greenhouse gas from the atmosphere than it emits.
For more information
Inclusions
The inventory reports greenhouse gas emissions and removals from five sectors:
- agriculture (e.g. nitrous oxide from fertiliser, methane from livestock digestive systems and manure)
- energy (e.g. emissions from road transport and electricity generation)
- industrial processes and product use (IPPU) (e.g. cement production and refrigeration)
- land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) (e.g. forest land, cropland, grassland, wetlands, settlements, other land).
- waste (eg, solid waste and wastewater).
The most recent inventory report covered the following direct greenhouse gases:
carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulphur hexafluoride (SF6).
Only emissions and removals of these six direct greenhouse gases are included in the national greenhouse gas total.
Exclusions
Emissions from international marine and aviation are reported as memo items and are NOT included in New Zealand’s total emissions.
The inventory also reports indirect greenhouse gases but they are not included in New Zealand’s greenhouse gas total. These gases do not have a direct warming effect, but react with other gases in the atmosphere and increase the concentration of greenhouse gases.
The indirect gases are: oxides of nitrogen (NOx), sulphur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs).
Changes to data collection/processing
The continuous improvement of inventory development and reporting is a fundamental requirement under the Kyoto Protocol and the UNFCCC. When inventory improvements are made, it is good practice to recalculate the entire time series to ensure the consistency of emission trends. Recalculated estimates can result from any one improvement or a combination of improvements in activity data, emission factors, methodology or when additional emission sources are identified.
Data provided by
Dataset name
New Zealand's Greenhouse Gas Inventory: CRF summary data 2021
Webpage:
https://environment.govt.nz/publications/new-zealands-greenhouse-gas-inventory-1990-2021
How to find the data
Click on 'Summary emissions data [Excel file (xlsx), 42 KB]' under the 'Supporting information' title to download the file.
Import & extraction details
File as imported: New Zealand's Greenhouse Gas Inventory: CRF summary data 2021
From the dataset New Zealand's Greenhouse Gas Inventory: CRF summary data 2021, this data was extracted:
- Sheet: Emissions by gas
- Range:
B3:L34 - Provided: 352 data points
This data forms the table Environment - Greenhouse gas emissions by gas 1990–2021.
Dataset originally released on:
April 13, 2023
About this dataset
New Zealand’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory is the official annual report of all anthropogenic (human induced) emissions and removals of greenhouse gases in New Zealand. The inventory measures New Zealand’s progress against obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol.
The 2023 inventory contains the emissions and removals data from 1990 to 2021, major emissions trends, and methodology used by New Zealand for estimating its emissions and removals. The inventory informs the Ministry for the Environment’s policy recommendations on climate change, and it enables us to monitor progress towards our emissions reductions targets.