The agriculture and energy sectors were the largest contributors to New Zealand's gross greenhouse gas emissions in 2019, the latest figures show.
The Ministry for the Environment has just released its New Zealand Greenhouse Gas Inventory 1990-2019 - the official annual estimate of all human-generated greenhouse gas emissions and removals in Aotearoa.
It focuses on carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases. The inventory takes time to calculate, which is why figures for 2019 emissions are only being released today.
Gross emissions for 2019 were 82.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO2-e).
Of that, agriculture made up 48 percent (39.6Mt CO2-e) and energy (including transport) 42 percent (34.3 Mt CO2-e).
Land use, land use change and forestry offset 33 percent of the country's gross emissions.
Gross emissions were up on 2018 by 2 percent, while over the 1900-2019 period emissions increased by 26 percent.
The inventory published last year showed that in 2018, New Zealand's gross emissions were 1 percent lower than 2017.
That year, gross emissions were 78.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, and comprised of 44 percent carbon dioxide, 43 percent methane, 10 percent nitrous oxide and 2 percent fluorinated gases.
You can also see the emissions in MFE's interactive tracker.
RNZ
