WELLINGTON (CU)_Amid the COVID-19 pandemic last year, greenhouse gas emissions experienced a decline due to travel restrictions and economic slowdowns. Yet, reports have revealed that it only amounted to a 5.5 per cent to 5.7 per cent fall in levels of carbon dioxide discharged across the globe, which was still short of the required 7.6 per cent reduction to limit global warming to 1.5°C, as called for in the Paris Agreement. However, the situation was not so grim in New Zealand, where green sources powered a significant portion of the country’s energy needs.
A recent report published by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment on New Zealand’s energy consumption in 2020 revealed that the temporary shutdown of coal mines and the grounding of flights amid the global health crisis had a brief, if fleeting, impact on carbon footprint of the Trans-Tasman nation.
According to the Ministry, last year, national energy consumption in the country fell by 7.4 per cent, its lowest level since 2013, particularly on account of the fall in demand from the industrial and transport sectors. “As the majority of energy used for domestic transport in New Zealand is from oil products, this saw demand for oil products fall 8.8 per cent from 2019 levels,” the report read. “The largest reductions were seen in petrol use (down 11 per cent) and use of fuels for domestic aviation (down 31 per cent),” it added.
On the other hand, while the lower domestic consumption reduced the amount of energy needed in New Zealand, a larger fall was seen in the supply of non-renewables. Accordingly, the overall share of renewables in total primary energy supply rose to a record-high level of 40.3 per cent in 2020, from 39.4 per cent in the previous year.
