Climate change mitigation is an important target for the catchment, which has a strong focus on being a sustainable tourism destination9,10. The purpose of providing an emissions inventory as part of the monitoring framework is to determine significant sources of GHG emissions in the catchment, which can help to prioritise mitigation efforts.
Data Source
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Agricultural activity data were obtained from census data.
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Stats NZ Agricultural Production Census
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Transport emissions were derived from fuel tax data which were obtained from the Central Otago District Council. The detailed method on how emissions were derived can be found in the Technical Report.
→
Technical Report
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GHG sequestration removals from forestry were estimated using data obtained from the Land Use and Coverage Area frame Survey (LUCAS) data set.
→
LUCAS
| Emissions (tCO2e) | Change to previous year (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Transport | 69,100 | -4.7% |
| Energy | 13,400 | 8.1% |
| Agriculture | 137,000 | 3.6% |
| Forestry | -69,500 | N/A |
| Net | 150,000 | 1.6% |
Agriculture emissions are dominated by the sheep, dairy, and beef industries. Data for this sector were obtained from census data provided by StatsNZ.
An overview of the GHG emissions by sector since 2020 is provided below. Overall, the emissions within the catchment have increased since 2020 due to an increase in the emissions from the energy and agriculture sector.
Data Source
-
Agricultural activity data were obtained from census data.
→
Stats NZ Agricultural Production Census
Data Source
-
Agricultural activity data were obtained from census data.
→
Stats NZ Agricultural Production Census
-
Transport emissions were derived from fuel tax data which were obtained from the Central Otago District Council. The detailed method on how emissions were derived can be found in the Technical Report.
→
Technical Report
-
GHG sequestration removals from forestry were estimated using data obtained from the Land Use and Coverage Area frame Survey (LUCAS) data set.
→
LUCAS
Each sector can be analysed in more detail to understand where the largest contributing activities or sources exist. For example, Wānaka is the main contributor to the overall emissions from the energy sector with 78%.
80%
According to a survey conducted by the QLDC 80% of residents in the catchment stated that they were “concerned” or “very concerned” about the potential impacts of climate change.
To align with national climate change commitments and targets and to alleviate concern from residents increase in GHG emissions needs to be addressed across the sectors and catchment.
The forestry sector accounts for greenhouse gas removals in the catchment; as forests grow, they sequester carbon dioxide and act as a natural carbon sink. A small quantity of greenhouse gas emissions result from deforestation and harvesting of both natural and plantation forests. For example, a loss of 10.3 ha of forestland in 2016 led to 9,500 tonnes of CO2e emitted into the atmosphere.
Data Source
-
GHG sequestration removals from forestry were estimated using data obtained from the Land Use and Coverage Area frame Survey.
→
LUCAS
