David presented an overview of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions since 1990 and a breakdown of those from the agricultural sector. 


He highlighted that the total greenhouse gases have been largely stable since 2005, mainly due to economic factors, and that whilst greenhouse gases have gone up by 21% since 1990, the economy has grown by ~80% in the same time period. 


A notable point is that New Zealand’s emission profile is significantly different to other Annex 1 countries.


New Zealand’s domestic climate change policy is being looked at in 2015 with three objectives: 


(i) to reduce global emissions;
(ii) encourage responsible economic growth; and
(iii) to adapt to climate and international actions. 


David also spoke about the need to encourage farmers to adopt current best practices and technologies to reduce their emissions and to think about shifting New Zealand agriculture from a production to a value focus.


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