Producers creating less greenhouse gas help household emissions fall

New Zealand household’s greenhouse gas emissions fell 11 percent between 2006 and 2012, a new study shows.

Suzi Kerr, senior fellow at Motu Economic and Public Policy Research, says the change occurred mainly because the production of some high-emissions goods is creating fewer greenhouse gases.

Kerr’s Who’s Going Green

study shows improvements in carbon intensity were made in industries including air travel, milk, cheese, and eggs, meat and poultry and electricity.

However, emissions from petrol increased about 10% as regular petrol became ‘dirtier’.

Kerr says further cuts in agricultural emissions by both producers and consumers are needed if the world is to stay below 2 degrees of global warming.

“Many policies, possibly including bringing agriculture into our emissions trading scheme could facilitate this.”

Food, particularly red meat and dairy, household utilities – particularly electricity and gas, and transport account for 89 percent of emissions for the average household.