Getting to net zero
New Zealand has committed to playing its part in reducing emissions to help avoid the most severe possible future impacts of global climate change, through the Zero Carbon Act (2019).
This includes:
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reaching net zero long-lived greenhouse gas emissions
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a 24–47% reduction in biogenic methane emissions
All regions have a role in reducing emissions to enable New Zealand/Aotearoa to meet this commitment.
According to an analysis from He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission, meeting this commitment is both ambitious and achievable. Their analysis has informed targets set in New Zealand’s emissions budgets.
The emissions budgets and associated targets mean we need to change the way we move ourselves and our freight, how we manage land, how we make and use energy, and how we manage waste.
Regional greenhouse gas emissions inventory
The first greenhouse gas emissions inventory report for Waitaha/Canterbury is now available to download (PDF file, 2MB). The report analyses the greenhouse gas emissions for our region in 2018 and 2021. The infographic below shows a breakdown of the greenhouse gas emissions in our region in 2021.
Percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number so will not add to exactly 100%. (Source: Annual Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Canterbury, 2018 and 2021)
- Long-lived gases: greenhouse gases that stay in the atmosphere very long after they have been produced. Carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide are examples of long-lived gases.
- Short-lived gases: greenhouse gases that eventually break down in the atmosphere after they have been produced. Biogenic methane is an example of a short-lived gas.
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions
Reducing transport emissions
New Zealand/Aotearoa has set a target of reducing national transport greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30 per cent by 2035 (versus business-as-usual projections), to help meet our Paris Agreement commitments.
Analysis by the Climate Change Commission shows that meeting this target is likely to require changes including:
- reducing the distance we travel in fossil-fuel powered vehicles
- increasing our use of buses, bikes, scooters – and walking more
- increasing our use of electric and low-emissions vehicles.
These changes mean that people need to have safe and reliable options that enable them to change their transport habits.
Transport is a significant source of GHG emissions in Waitaha, approximately half comes from private vehicle use.
Land-use emissions: How we manage farms, forests and ecosystems
New Zealand/Aotearoa has set targets to increase carbon sequestration through forestry by 16 pe rcent and reduce national agricultural GHG emissions by six per cent by 2035, (versus business-as-usual projections), to help meet our Paris Agreement commitments.
The Climate Change Commission’s analysis shows this target is likely to require changes including:
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reducing emissions from ruminant livestock and fertiliser
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planting more trees and other woody biomass in a way that sequesters carbon and ensures that there is enough biofuel to power industrial heat
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retirement and restoration of marginal farmland.
Agriculture contributes the highest proportion of GHG emissions in Waitaha, In 2021, emissions from agriculture in Waitaha contributed 61 per cent of the region’s emissions in carbon dioxide equivalents, compared with 54 per cent of New Zealand’s total emissions.
Agricultural emissions in this inventory include on-farm ruminant livestock and animal housings, fertiliser and crops. Most are from on-farm ruminant livestock, and some are from fertiliser. Other emissions sources associated with agricultural land and activities (e.g., off-road transport, transport of products, energy use — including for home heating and electricty — are included in the Energy and Transport emission estimates.)
Some research has also estimated that restoring and maintaining the health of New Zealand’s indigenous forests and ecosystems could deliver significant emissions reduction benefits.
Industrial heat emissions: How we make and use energy
New Zealand/Aotearoa has set targets for reducing the emissions from energy and industry by 25 per cent by 2035 (versus business-as-usual projections) to help meet our Paris Agreement commitments. The Climate Change Commission’s analysis shows meeting these targets is likely to require changes including:
- switching from fossil fuels to other energy sources, like biomass, when producing industrial heat
- building with less concrete and high-emissions steel.
Industrial heat refers to the production of heat at an industrial scale, such as for heating large buildings like schools, incinerating hospital waste, generating electricity - or processing dairy products, concrete, and metals like iron and aluminium.
Fossil-fuelled industrial heat is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions in Waitaha. In 2021, eight per cent of the region’s emissions in carbon dioxide equivalents were from manufacturing and construction. Most of these are from industrial heat, particularly from dairy processing.
Manufacturing emissions have decreased from 2018 to 2021 in Waitaha. Communities in Waitaha also indirectly contribute to GHG emissions by using electricity, concrete and steel that is produced in other regions using fossil-fuelled industrial heat (which is accounted for within the region where the emissions were produced).
Waste emissions: How we manage organic and refrigeration unit waste
Organic garden waste New Zealand/Aotearoa has set targets to reduce the emissions from organic waste by 26 per cent and from fluorinated refrigerants by 18 per cent by 2035 (versus business-as-usual projections) to help meet our Paris Agreement commitments. The Climate Change Commission’s analysis shows meeting these targets is likely to require changes including:
- managing organic waste to minimise the release of methane when it breaks down (e.g., through composting and methane capture)
- managing refrigeration unit waste carefully, to avoid releasing hydrofluorocarbons when it breaks down.
Greenhouse gas emissions from organic waste like food or garden waste occur when the waste breaks down in a low or no-oxygen environment, such as in a landfill, and the resulting greenhouse gas is released to the atmosphere rather than being captured.
In Waitaha, solid waste disposal was by far the largest contributor of GHG emissions from this sector (four per cent of the region's emissions in 2021.) Other waste sources included wastewater treatment and discharge, waste incineration and open burning. Our inventory did not include biological treatment of organic waste.