Hon David Parker - 4/05/2007
- The effect of a dry year on electricity
supply has been reflected in the latest
figures released in New Zealand's annual
Greenhouse Gas Inventory.
The figures for 2005 are now available,
and show New Zealand's emissions rose 2.8
percent (2.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide
equivalents) between 2004 and 2005.
The rise was largely due to an increased
use of fossil-fuel thermal generation (coal
and gas) to guarantee electricity supply
after a sustained dry period in 2005 caused
storage levels in hydro lakes to drop.
"This shows the importance of developing
more renewable electricity generation, in
order to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions
that contribute to climate change,"
Climate Change Minister David Parker said.
"Already this year Contact Energy
has announced it is putting on hold development
of further fossil fuel generation, as it
advances $2 billion of renewables in the
form of geothermal and wind generation.
"Mighty River Power has dropped plans
to recommission its Marsden B coal-fired
power station. We have 150 megawatts of
wind power under construction, and more
than a thousand megawatts that have consents,
or are in the consenting process.
"New Zealanders are now taking action
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and
along with programmes already underway,
and further initiatives being proposed,
real progress will be made," David
Parker said.
The Greenhouse Gas Inventory is prepared
annually by the Ministry for the Environment
with input from relevant government agencies
and submitted in accordance with the requirements
of the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto
Protocol.
Nearly half (49 percent) of New Zealand’s
greenhouse gas emissions are produced by
the agriculture sector (livestock digestion
and waste) and 43 percent from the energy
sector (electricity and transport).
Background on New Zealand’s Greenhouse
Gas Inventory 11000-2005
As a Party to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change, and the Kyoto
Protocol, New Zealand is required to submit
an annual inventory of man-made (anthropogenic)
emissions by sources and removals by sinks
(ie, trees) of greenhouse gases.
The inventory submitted on 4 May 2007 contains
data from 11000 to end of 2005. This is
the latest data available and is based on
a calendar year. Due to the complexity of
compiling and analysing this information,
the data published in any given year is
15 months behind.
The compilation of the Greenhouse Gas Inventory
is a highly complex task that requires thousands
of pieces of data to be sourced from Crown
Research Institutes and relevant government
agencies (including the Ministry for Economic
Development and the Ministry of Agriculture
and Forestry).
The following is a summary of New Zealand’s
emissions from the 11000-2005 inventory:
Total greenhouse gas emissions in 2005
were 77.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide
equivalents (Mt CO2-e)
In 2005 the agriculture sector contributed
48.5 percent of the total emissions. The
energy sector contributed 43.4 percent.
The balance of emissions was made up of
industrial processes (5.6 percent), waste
(2.4 percent) and solvents (0.1 percent)
The largest single source of emissions
in 2005 was methane from enteric fermentation
of ruminant animals (31.0 percent of the
total emissions). Road transport was the
next biggest source with a share of 16.4
percent of total emissions (total transport
is 18.4 percent)
Emissions from the waste sector have decreased
0.6 Mt CO2-e (25.9 percent reduction)
Low-rainfall years affect the level of
hydro lakes, which in turn reduces available
hydro electricity supply. More fossil fuel-based
thermal generation is then needed to ensure
security of supply. As a result greenhouse
gas emissions from electricity generation
rise. This was the case in 2005
The peak and trough pattern of emissions
resulting from electricity production due
to the availability of hydro electricity
generation will remain a feature of New
Zealand’s greenhouse gas profile for some
time.
Further details can be found on the Ministry
for the Environment website: www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/climate/about/greenhouse-gas-inventory.html
+ More
Govt congratulates NZX on climate change
initiative
Hon David Parker - 2/05/2007 - Climate
Change Minister David Parker says he's impressed
by the willingness of New Zealand businesses
to get stuck in and develop solutions to
climate change.
NZX and the Carbon Market Working Group,
which comprises a number of prominent New
Zealand companies, today revealed details
of a proposal for a greenhouse gas emissions
trading platform.
"Here's a group of businesses that
can see the advantages arising from New
Zealand's commitment to the Kyoto Protocol,
under the Labour-led government."
The government was pleased to provide technical
advice to NZX in scoping the feasibility
of their emissions trading initiative, David
Parker said.
Trading platforms can be set up by the
private sector without government involvement;
however there are regulatory adjustments
the government can make that will assist
such an initiative.
"The government sees the value in
this initiative. Emissions trading presents
business opportunities, which are a key
driver for motivating businesses to take
positive action against climate change."
Emissions trading is a way of limiting
the production of greenhouse gases, usually
by establishing an overall cap, and allocating
participants rights to emit a given amount
within that cap. Those who exceed their
limits can buy credits from those who come
in under their limits. The price of credits
is set by demand and supply.
"Within government, work is already
progressing on the design of a cap-and-trade
emissions trading scheme involving all sectors.
Feedback from our consultation on climate
change and energy policy earlier this year
indicates that this is the preferred option
of most stakeholders."
"Our approach to tackling climate
change is that all must play a part in reducing
greenhouse gas emissions, recognising that
it will be easier for some sectors than
for others. Although no final decisions
have been made, we believe emissions trading
is probably the best and most flexible way
for that to happen," David Parker said.
"I congratulate NZX and their partners
for taking steps to stamp a New Zealand
flavour on a platform for emissions trading–
something that is undoubtedly set to become
a world-wide phenomenon for tackling climate
change."
New Zealand’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory
11000-2005
The Ministry’s latest report on New Zealand’s
greenhouse gas emissions shows that emissions
for 2005 were 77.2 million tonnes of carbon
dioxide equivalents (Mt CO2-e), a 2.8 per
cent increase from 2004 and a 24.7 per cent
over the 11000 level.
The rise in emissions between 2004 and
2005 is primarily the result of the change
in the proportion of fossil fuels used in
electricity generation.
New Zealand’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory
11000-2005 was submitted on 4 May 2007 to
the United Nations Framework on Climate
Change Convention (UNFCCC). The inventory
is compiled annually by the Ministry with
input from relevant agencies as a requirement
of the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol.
The inventory collects information on man-made
(anthropogenic) greenhouse gas emissions
to provide a snapshot of New Zealand’s emissions
by sector, as well as the removal of greenhouses
gases by sinks (eg, trees).
A summary of the inventory report will
be available on this website shortly. Here
are important key facts:
Total greenhouse gas emissions in 2005
were 77.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide
equivalents (Mt CO2-e). Total emissions
have increased 15.3 Mt CO2-e (24.7 per cent)
over the 11000 level of 61.9 Mt CO2-e (refer
Figure 1). The increase between 2004 and
2005 was 2.1 Mt CO2-e (2.8 per cent).
For 2005 the largest single source of emissions
was methane from enteric fermentation of
ruminant animals (31.0 per cent of total
emissions). Carbon dioxide from road transport
is the next biggest source contributing
16.4 per cent of total emissions (total
transport contributed 18.4 per cent of total
emissions).
37.4 Mt or 48.5% per cent of New Zealand's
greenhouse gas emissions are produced by
the agriculture sector (methane and nitrous
oxide) and 33.5 Mt (43.4 per cent) from
the energy (electricity and transport) sector
(carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane).
Emissions from the industrial processes,
solvents and waste sectors are a much smaller
component of New Zealand's inventory comprising
4.3 Mt (5.6 per cent), 0.05 Mt (0.1 per
cent) and 1.8 Mt (2.4 per cent) respectively.
The increase in emissions from 2004 to
2005 is the result of the change in proportion
of fossil fuels used in electricity generation
each year. In 2004 hydro storage levels
were adequate and there was less reliance
on fossil fuel-based thermal generation
to meet electricity demand. For several
months in 2005 water storage in hydro lakes
was below average. More coal was used in
the thermal generation plants to conserve
hydro lake storage.
The variation in emissions from year to
year is clearly shown in Figure 1. The annual
average growth in emissions is 1.4 per cent.
