Emissions breakdown
In the 2022 reporting year, Wellington City emitted gross 853,513 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e).
- Transportation is the biggest source of emissions accounting for 45.5% of total gross emissions.
- Stationary energy is the second largest emitter, 37.3% of total gross emissions.
- Waste (8.6% of total gross emissions), industry (7.0% of total gross emissions) and agriculture (1.7% of total gross emissions) are the smaller sources of emissions in Wellington City.
Our latest figures show that city emissions have reduced by 9% over the last two years. It’s a positive trend, despite some of the reduction relating to the impacts of less air travel during the pandemic.
- Reduction in on-road vehicle emissions (lower distance travelled by vehicles in Wellington City)
- Reduction in landfill emissions (due to increased landfill gas (methane) capture)
- Energy shift in the transport sector (busses, ferries, other vehicles, inter island ferries)
That doesn’t mean we can take our eye off our 2030 and 2050 net zero carbon goals, but it’s encouraging to see that the city is on the right track.
What emissions are measured
The Wellington city greenhouse gas emissions inventory aligns with the Global Protocol for Community Scale Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventories (GPC).
The report accounts for greenhouse gas emissions of sectors within the city boundaries. These sectors are:
- Stationary energy – includes emissions from electricity and natural gas.
- Transportation – includes emissions from on and off-road transportation (petrol and diesel), rail, air, bus electricity, LPG, and port activities.
- Waste – including waste originating in Wellington City from both solid waste (open and closed landfills) and wastewater.
- Industry (industrial processes and product use) – including emissions of synthetic gases used in activities such as refrigeration, air-conditioning, fire extinguishers, aerosols, and electrical equipment production.
- Agriculture – from within the city boundaries.
The gross total is then adjusted to reflect emissions sequestered (removed) through forestry, which provides the net emissions.