Government shrinks its carbon footprint by flying less
Government agencies collectively cut their footprint nearly 20% in their first step towards carbon neutrality, though Climate Change Minister James Shaw isnt sure they can keep it up. Clamping down on flights made the biggest difference: the 39 departments more than halved their air travel emissions in the later stages of the pandemic. The Government set a goal to reduce public sector emissions by 22% by 2025 and offset the rest. While initial results might suggest it could easily meet that target, Shaw expected emissions to bounce up again. After declaring a climate emergency in 2020, the Government pledged to make the public sector carbon-neutral by 2025. Core government agencies including ministries, the Department of Corrections and Police must set science-based goals, implement ideas to achieve their target and report their progress. This is the first time the agencies have reported back, comparing their footprint between July 2021 and June 2022 against a baseline year of their choice. Crown agencies, such as Waka Kotahi (or NZTA) and Worksafe, and schools (with help from the ministry) will also start to report their annual footprints from the end of the year. Tertiary institutions and state-owned organisations are encouraged, but not required, to take part. If all sign up, more than 100 public agencies will make efforts to reduce their impact, Shaw said. To declare itself carbon-neutral, the government will need to purchase credible carbon offsets from 2025 for all remaining emissions. When the programme was first proposed, officials expressed concern in briefing documents that science-based emissions cuts would be tough to achieve. Even with our best endeavours there may be a gap between our ambition and the level of emissions reduction achievable by 2025. However, reduced travel has put the first group of agencies close to the 22% goal. Overall, core agencies annual footprints were 73,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide smaller a reduction of 19%. The savings equate to the annual emissions produced by roughly 10,000 Kiwi families, according to estimates from Toitu Envirocare . Obviously, a 19% drop is fantastic news, Shaw said. Much of that was due to Covid. Aviation contributes the biggest chunk of the agencies pollution. In 2021-22, emissions from air travel fell to under 39,900 tonnes, compared to just over 85,300 tonnes in the baseline year. Pandemic restrictions curtailed domestic travel until late 2021, and international travel through to July 2022. Shaw is expecting emissions to increase in future reports. Weve had at least one very good result. We dont know how quite how much of that well be able to lock in, he added. It shows what can be done... I think the 22% is doable, and I think we might be pleasantly surprised that some agencies will go beyond that. Departments were introducing policies to ensure air and car travel emissions do not return to pre-pandemic patterns, Shaw said. Reducing travel can save money as well as emissions, and even boost productivity. This wont be always appropriate for agencies such as the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Trade or Defence, he stressed. Government aircraft including helicopters and emergency response craft contributed to the headline result, cutting carbon by roughly a quarter. The government fleet is slowly shifting to low-carbon vehicles. One in 10 cars are now electric. This, with some help from Covid-19, helped to reduce the fleets footprint by 17%. Pollution from fossil gas decreased slightly, while emissions from electricity had a minor increase. Efforts to replace coal boilers and buy EVs were making a difference, Shaw said. We just need more of it. The pleasing emissions results come shortly after news that a crash in the price of carbon, widely blamed on Cabinet decisions, had caused a major dent in Crown revenue . Shaw said the timing was coincidental. The minister was proud of the work done by agencies to get to the first report. Now it feels like there is real momentum. Our weekly email newsletter, by the Forever Project's Olivia Wannan, rounds up the latest climate events. Sign up here .