WELLINGTON, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand greenhouse gas emissions fell 1.5 percent, or 287 kilotonnes, in the June 2025 quarter, Stats NZ reported Thursday.
The decline was mainly driven by a 3.2 percent drop in manufacturing emissions, particularly led by petroleum, chemical, polymer, and rubber product sectors, which declined 41.2 percent due to natural gas shortages, said Stats NZ environment statistics spokesperson Tehseen Islam.
Industry emissions, excluding households, decreased 1.5 percent, or 258 kilotonnes, while household emissions dipped 0.6 percent, or 12 kilotonnes. This coincided with a 0.9 percent decline in gross domestic product over the same period, said a statement of the statistics department.
Manufacturing emissions are at their lowest since records began in 2010, down 41.4 percent from their December 2014 peak, Islam said, adding non-metallic mineral and metallic product manufacturing also contributed to the reduction.
In the year ending June 2025, total industry and household greenhouse gas emissions dropped 2.9 percent to 76,902 kilotonnes, the lowest annual total for a June year since 2010, Stats NZ said, adding that significant contributors included manufacturing, and agriculture, forestry, and fishing.
Emissions from the electricity, gas, water, and waste services industry were down 3.5 percent, or 246 kilotonnes, in the year ended June 2025, reflecting increased electricity generation from renewables like geothermal, solar, wind, and biogas during this period, it said. ■
