Latest national greenhouse emissions report
Published: 26.07.2005
MED’s Energy Information and Modelling Group has released the latest annual report on national greenhouse gas emissions from energy related activities and industrial processes.
Emissions from the energy sector relate primarily to the combustion of fuel (for example in vehicles) while industrial process emissions relate to emissions from chemical processes that occur during the production of various goods such as steel.
In relation to their impact on global warming, both types of emissions are dominated by carbon dioxide. Other gases covered are methane, nitrous oxide, other oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide and non-methane volatile organic compounds.
Energy sector CO2 emissions are estimated to have declined by around 2% between 2003 and 2004 after 5 years of increase since 1998. The main factors contributing to this decline are:
- A 14% decline in emissions from manufacturing industries (not including steel manufacture), mainly due to a large decline in coal use;
- A 5% fall in emissions from thermal electricity generation after a ‘dry’ hydro year in 2003; and
- Slower than usual growth in emissions from transport, which grew by 2.3% compared to an average annual increase of 3.6% over the 1990 – 2004 period.
Over the 1990 – 2004 period combined energy sector and industrial process CO2 emissions, which account for New Zealand’s total gross CO2 emissions, increased by 34% from 25 to 34 million tonnes. The Energy sector contributed 30.6 million tonnes of gross CO2 emissions in 2004, while industrial processes contributed 3.4 million tonnes.
|
Forward
to an associate
Print
this article
Back
to headlines
