About measuring greenhouse gas emissions
This page outlines why New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions are measured and the responsibilities of government agencies.
This page outlines why New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions are measured and the responsibilities of government agencies.
Greenhouse gases naturally trap heat in the atmosphere and are necessary to support life on earth. Over the past century or so, greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere have been increasing. Human activities have largely been responsible for the increases. The increased levels of greenhouse gases change the climate by trapping energy in the atmosphere.
Human-induced greenhouse gases are measured in order to understand the scale of the problem and to work out how best to manage it. In 2014 globally, 73 per cent of these emissions were produced by the energy sector (Source: Climate Watch website).
Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and Paris agreement, New Zealand and other signatory countries have agreed to reduce their human-induced greenhouse gas emissions.
Each country commits to emissions reductions in relation to their selected base-year levels and must report annually on its emissions for the following economic sectors:
The reporting shows how countries are tracking against agreed emissions reduction targets.
New Zealand takes a ‘cross-government’ approach to reporting emissions. The government agencies responsible for reporting emissions by sector are listed in the table below.
Energy |
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment |
Industrial processes and other product use |
Ministry for the Environment |
Agriculture |
Ministry for Primary Industries |
Waste |
Ministry for the Environment |
Land use and forestry |
Ministry for the Environment |