New Zealand on track to meet Kyoto commitments

Climate Change Minister Tim Groser today welcomed New Zealand’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Net Position which show we are on track to meet our Kyoto commitments.

The Greenhouse Gas Inventory provides a historical snapshot of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions, while the Net Position forecasts by how much New Zealand’s emissions will be above or below our Kyoto Protocol target.

“It is encouraging to see that current projections show that New Zealand will have a surplus of 29.6 million emission units for the Kyoto Commitment Period of 2008-2012.

“We are completely focussed on meeting our existing Kyoto targets as part of the first commitment period while continuing to do our fair share in reducing emissions,” Mr Groser says.

The Inventory shows a small increase in total emissions from 71.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2010 to 72.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2011. While there was a small increase in emissions from agriculture and industrial processes, emissions from waste and energy decreased.

“I am particularly pleased about the reduction in energy emissions which reinforces the work we are doing on renewable energy, including progress towards our target of 90% renewable electricity.”

The following reports were released today:

The Greenhouse Gas Inventory:
http://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/climate/greenhouse-gas-inventory-2013/index.html

The Net Position:
http://www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/climate/greenhouse-gas-emissions/net-position/index.html

Deforestation Intentions Survey 2012:
http://www.mpi.govt.nz/Default.aspx?TabId=126&id=1714