Wellington on right track to be a Zero Carbon Capital

The Capital’s emissions were down 7% between 2001 and 2019, and on target to reach the goal of dropping to 10% next year, according to a recently released report commissioned by Wellington City Council.

As part of the Te Atakura - First to Zero programme, moving to make Wellington City a zero-carbon capital, this is positive news especially with drops from road transport, waste and stationary energy (buildings) despite significant growth in the population and economy.

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions per capita are down 24%, and while our GDP grew 59%, GHG emissions per unit of GDP are down 41%.

• Emissions from electricity dropped 34%, while use increased just 1%
• Air travel emissions increased by 45% as Wellington has become a more popular tourist destination
• Waste emissions have dropped by 32% between 2001 and 2019 (Closed landfills have emitted much less methane, while the Council has invested in gas capture technology)
• Road transport emissions dropped by 6% between 2001 and 2019 (Even with a growing population and economy, vehicle kilometres travelled only changed by 1%)

Carbon emissions for Wellington City have been measured using the Global Protocol for Community Scale Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory (GPC). The method includes emissions from stationary energy, transportation, waste, industry (IPPU), agriculture and forestry sectors.