Emissions inventory a first for Canterbury
Environment Canterbury media release: 13th May 2024
The first greenhouse gas emissions inventory report for Waitaha/Canterbury has been published. The report analyses the greenhouse gas emissions for our region in 2018 and 2021.
View the Canterbury emissions inventory report on the ECan Getting to Net Zero webpage.
This new report was prepared by an independent environmental consultancy, and includes more detail than the high-level regional greenhouse gas emission estimates published by Statistics NZ.
A key tool in our climate work
“The emissions inventory report is a key tool in our climate action work that will enable us to track changes to emissions over time, assess different mitigation options, and evaluate the effect of central and local government policies on regional emissions,” said Chief Scientist Dr Fiona Shanhun.
Find out more about ECan's climate action work.
Information from the report is helping shape our first climate action plan, which is due to be published in September 2024. The report will also help inform the Canterbury Climate Partnership Plan – a collaborative climate action plan being created by all 11 councils in Canterbury through the Canterbury Mayoral Forum.
We plan to publish the next version of the emissions inventory report for Waitaha/Canterbury in 2026. It is likely the next report will also include information about carbon sequestration.
Sources of greenhouse gas emissions
The report presents greenhouse gas emissions in five categories:
- Transport – from burning fossil fuels (like petrol and diesel) in vehicles.
- Stationary energy – from burning fossil fuels to produce heat (such as in manufacturing plants), including for generating the electricity used in Canterbury.
- Industrial processes and product use – other greenhouse gas emissions from industry and products, for example some asthma inhalers and refrigerants.
- Agriculture, forestry and other land use – for example, emissions from ruminant livestock (like cows and sheep), nitrogen fertiliser, and manure management.
- Waste – from decomposition of organic waste in landfills.
View an infographic of where Canterbury's greenhouse gases (GHGs) come from.
Agriculture produced around a quarter of the long-lived greenhouse gases, and most of the short-lived biogenic methane in Canterbury, totalling around 61 per cent of our region’s gross emissions overall.
Stationary energy and transport each produced around a third of long-lived greenhouse gas emissions in Canterbury. Waste, and industrial processes and product use, each contributed relatively small amounts of greenhouse gases.
Long and short-lived gases
Long-lived gases are greenhouse gases that stay in the atmosphere very long after they have been produced. Carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide are examples of long-lived gases.
Short-lived gases are greenhouse gases that eventually break down in the atmosphere after they have been produced. Biogenic methane is an example of a short-lived gas.
Both long and short-lived greenhouse gases need to be reduced to successfully reach New Zealand’s climate change commitments.