Greenhouse gas emissions (consumption-based): Year ended 2020 (provisional)

Greenhouse gas emissions (consumption-based): Year ended 2020 (provisional)

About

Consumption-based emissions are the emissions embodied in the consumption and investment by domestic units, based on consistent classifications and concepts used in economic statistics. Tables are available with a breakdown by domestic final use category, trade (including gas breakdown), and a supplementary table on tourism consumption-based emissions. The methodology uses the production-based emissions from the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (industry and households), and economic data from National Accounts.

For more information see:

• Approaches to measuring New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions

This greenhouse gas emissions (consumption-based) release extends the suite of annual emissions data to include the emissions embodied in final consumption, giving us:

• GHG Inventory (MfE)
• SEEA – Production-based emissions (Stats NZ)
• SEEA – Regional production-based emissions (Stats NZ)
• SEEA – Consumption-based emissions (Stats NZ)

This release is described as provisional, due to the assumptions required at this point in its development and the absence of internationally agreed standards and methods. Consumption-based emissions are currently considered an analytical extension of the United Nations System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA).

Methodological improvements and revisions 2020

This release contains revisions arising from new and more up-to-date information. Revisions to this data flow through from methodological improvements made to the Greenhouse gas emissions (industry and household): Year ended 2020, as it is a significant input data for the estimation of consumption-based emissions.

Changes in the 2020 account were seen across all industries due to revisions in road transport in the Greenhouse Gas Inventory data. Additionally, service industries have been revised from improved use of fuel type data. Households have been revised to include fuels used for marine recreation. The Planned methodological improvements for Aotearoa New Zealand's Greenhouse Gas Inventory has more information.

Revisions to estimates of emissions embodied in imports are due to the use of the domestic technology assumption. See Consumption-based greenhouse gas emissions (industry and household): Sources and Methods for more information regarding the domestic technology assumption.