The coal-burning Huntly power plant frequently has a big impact on the country’s quarterly emissions.
The country achieved lockdown-level emissions – without the national lockdown – in the second half of last year.
Before the pandemic – in 2019 – the country produced nearly 21.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent between January and March, according to new data released by Statistics NZ.
During the lockdown period – the three months to June 2020 – seasonally adjusted emissions fell below 19m tonnes. They then bounced up to pre-pandemic norms.
The rollercoaster continued in the latest quarterly figures. Between July and September last year, emissions once again fell below that 19m tonne mark.
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In the last quarter of 2021, emissions rose 1.1% but remained comparable to lockdown levels, despite the absence of nationwide lockdowns (although Auckland and Waikato experienced local restrictions for some of that time).
The electricity grid was a major factor in last year’s sustained drop in greenhouse gases. In the first six months, emissions from the electricity, gas, water and waste sector spiked to record levels.
Hydro lakes fell to historically low levels, and fossil-fuelled generation had to pick up the slack to avoid power outages. The gas supply was unreliable, resulting in record shipments of coal.
But a warm winter meant the hydro lakes filled up much sooner than expected. Electricity emissions dropped significantly in September and fell even further in December.
At the same time, emissions from other industries trended downwards. Compared to a peak in March 2019, agricultural emissions were lower in the December 2021 quarter.
Over the two-year period, the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector decreased its emissions by 0.4% while increasing the industry’s revenue. The sector’s GDP rose by 3.8% over that timeframe, according to Statistics NZ.
The service industry also managed to cut greenhouse gas while boosting earnings. Between December 2019 and 2021, the sector cut emissions by 2.7% while its GDP rose by 5.4%.
The greenhouse gases produced by the commercial freight sector – known as transport, postal and warehousing – fell significantly during national lockdown. Emissions have drifted up since that point, but never truly rebounded.
Some of this may be driven by economic pain: the freight industry’s GDP fell 10.5% during the time its emissions dropped by 35.8%.
Between 2019 and 2021, household emissions also fell by nearly 10%.
People have been driving less. The carbon dioxide from household transport rebounded after the 2020 lockdowns, but has curved down since. The falling trend accelerated last year. The decrease pre-dates the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the consequent rise in global petrol prices.
Compared to the December 2019 quarter, seasonally adjusted emissions from nearly every industry fell to December 2021. There was a very slight increase in construction emissions, after housing consents hit an all-time high last year.
Statistics NZ previously produced its quarterly emissions reports as experimental statistics. The latest report is the first official report using the quarterly measures.
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