Greenhouse Gas Emissions
| NZ Greenhouse Gas Emissions Profile 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| sector | percent | |||
| Agriculture | 47.1% | |||
| Energy | 43.4% | |||
| Industry | 6.7% | |||
| Waste | 2.8% | |||
| NZ Greenhouse Gas Emissions Profile 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| greenhouse gas | percent | |||
| Carbon Dioxide | 46% | |||
| Methane | 37% | |||
| Nitrous Oxide | 15% | |||
| HFCs | 2% | |||
| PFCs and SF 6 | 0% | |||
New Zealand has a relatively unique emissions profile. In 2010, agriculture contributed 47.1% of total emissions, energy (including transport); 43.4%, industry; 6.7%, waste; 2.8%. In other Kyoto Protocol Annex 1 countries, agriculture typically contributes about 11% of total emissions.
Between 1990 to 2009 New Zealand’s total (or gross) greenhouse gas emissions increased from by 19%. Net emissions (after subtracting forest sequestration removals) increased by 23%.
Emission increases by sector were - agriculture; 12.1%, energy; 39.2%, industry; 35.0%. Only the small waste sector reduced emissions, by 25.3%.
N2O emissions originate from animal excrement and from the use of nitrogenous fertiliser. Livestock produce methane from rumination. Methane is a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide as it can trap twenty times the heat of an equivalent volume of carbon dioxide. Since New Zealand has large stock numbers these emissions are significant. A dairy cow produces between 84 and 123 kg of methane per year from rumen fermentation. In 1997, New Zealand's per capita emissions of methane were almost six times the OECD average and ten times the global average
In 2003, the Government proposed an Agricultural emissions research levy to fund research into reducing ruminant emissions. The proposal, popularly called a "fart tax", was strongly opposed by Federated Farmers and was later abandoned. The Livestock Emissions and Abatement Research Network (LEARN) was launched in 2007 to address livestock emissions. The Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium between the New Zealand government and industry groups seeks to reduce agricultural emissions through the funding of research.
At the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, the New Zealand government announced the formation of the Global Research Alliance involving 20 other countries. New Zealand will contribute NZ$45 million over four years towards research on agricultural greenhouse gas emissions.
Read more about this topic: Climate Change In New Zealand, Science of Climate Change in New Zealand
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