WELLINGTON, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand's consumption-based greenhouse gas emissions rose 1.6 percent in 2023 to 58.3 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e), Stats NZ reported Tuesday.
Households remained the most significant source, accounting for 70 percent of total emissions, up 5.8 percent from 2022, led by higher emissions linked to transport, food and non-alcoholic beverages, the statistics department said.
Emissions from tourism consumption fell 6 percent as visitor-related emissions remained 45 percent below pre-pandemic levels, it said.
Imports added slightly to the national footprint, rising 1.2 percent, while export-related emissions dropped 2.3 percent, leaving New Zealand a net exporter of emissions, with export emissions 70 percent higher than those embodied in imports, statistics showed.
Methane, mainly from agriculture, continued to dominate export emissions, contributing 57 percent of the total, Stats NZ said.
Total household consumption emissions largely remained flat between 2007 and 2023, "with falling emissions intensity (emissions in relation to expenditure) offsetting increases driven by population growth and higher expenditure per capita," it said. ■