Our commitment to lower emissions
We're committed to doing everything we can to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within our organisation and across the district.
Our targets for Christchurch are to halve emissions by 2030, compared with 2016-2017 levels, and to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, with at least a 50% reduction in methane emissions by 2045.
We’re working to achieve our organisational target of net zero emissions for our operations by 2030. This means balancing the emissions we create with the emissions we remove.
These targets were set in 2019, when the Council declared a climate and ecological emergency, in response to strong feedback from our community(external link).
Christchurch has joined many other cities and countries worldwide that have committed to taking urgent action to cut emissions.
Our emissions sources
We regularly measure the emissions generated by the Christchurch District and our Council operations. This helps us manage emissions and track our progress.
Take a look at our Emission Tracker(external link) to get a better understanding of our biggest emissions sources, as well as general transport trends in the district.
You can learn more about our emissions sources in these detailed reports:
- Ōtautahi Christchurch Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Report for the 2023 financial year [PDF, 1.2 MB]
- Christchurch City Council Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Report for the 2023 financial year [PDF, 722 KB]
Our district’s emission sources
The above graph shows a breakdown of the district's emissions. It shows that our biggest emissions source is transport, at 54%, followed by 21% for stationary energy, 16% for agriculture, and the remaining 10% for waste and refrigerants and aerosols. CO₂e (carbon dioxide equivalents) is a measure of the effect of different greenhouse gases on the climate.
Council’s emission sources
The above graph shows a breakdown of the Council's emissions. It shows that our biggest contributor is wastewater treatment, at 69.8%, followed by 20.6% for electricity, 7.1% for fuel, with waste, business travel, refrigerants and freight making up the remainder. CO₂e (carbon dioxide equivalents) is a measure of the effect of different greenhouse gases on the climate.
Calculate and reduce your emissions
We need everyone to play their part to reach our targets. These online tools can help you measure and reduce your household or business greenhouse gas emissions:
How we’re tracking
We have a programme of work to deliver on our Resource Efficiency and Greenhouse Gas Emission Policy [PDF, 297 KB].
We measure and report the greenhouse gas emissions across our operations and have set a target for our activities to be net carbon neutral by 2030.
While we’re making good progress in many areas, we’re not currently on track to reach our 2030 emissions reduction target for Christchurch.
We need everyone, from Council and Central Government, to businesses, communities, schools and households, to rapidly reduce emissions so we can all benefit from a more liveable city and healthy environment – and avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
Our district’s total emissions
The above graph shows the total emissions for the Christchurch district for each financial year, alongside the Council's target for 2030. CO₂e (carbon dioxide equivalents) is a measure of the effect of different greenhouse gases on the climate.
