Dunedin’s Gross Emissions Down 13% Since 2019

Dunedin has made measurable progress towards its climate goals. The city’s gross greenhouse gas emissions are now 13% lower than they were in 2019, dropping from just over 1.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) in 2018/19 to just over 1.4 million tCO2e in 2024/25.

When carbon absorbed by trees is taken into account, net emissions were just over 1.1 million tCO2e.

“This is a real step forward for Dunedin,” says General Manager City Services Scott MacLean. “Our reductions in coal use and cleaner industrial practices show what’s possible when local institutions and businesses make deliberate changes. It’s encouraging to see that practical actions we can control are making a measurable difference in our city’s carbon footprint.”

Highlights of progress to date:

• Waste sector emissions have halved since 2019, driven by improved landfill gas capture at Green Island and the introduction of kerbside organics collection.
• Coal use emissions dropped 70% as schools, public institutions such as the University of Otago, and Dunedin Hospital moved to low-emissions alternatives like biomass.
• Transport emissions fell 8%, driven by reductions in emissions from marine freight, cruise ships, and air travel. Small improvements in on-road transport also contributed.
• Agriculture emissions decreased 9%, driven by smaller livestock numbers within the city boundary.
• Industrial Processes and Product Use (IPPU) emissions decreased by 27%, thanks to lower-emissions refrigerants and air conditioning gases in appliances.

“While we’ve made demonstrable progress across every major emissions source we measure, there is more to do”, says Mr MacLean. “The Zero Carbon Plan maps out the next steps we need to take as a city, and every contribution counts towards the city’s Zero Carbon goals.”

Dunedin’s Zero Carbon goal

In 2019, Dunedin set a goal to become a Zero Carbon city. This means:

• Net zero carbon emissions (excluding biogenic methane) by 2030.
• Reducing biogenic methane emissions in line with national targets.

Achieving net zero carbon emissions will require significant reductions in emissions from transport, stationary energy, agriculture, and industrial processes and product use, which are outlined in the Zero Carbon Plan adopted in 2023.

While emissions modelling completed in 2025 shows it is highly unlikely Dunedin can achieve net zero carbon (excluding biogenic methane) by 2030, the changes required to be a net zero carbon city remain the same.

Forestry forecasts future trends

While forestry absorbed slightly less carbon this year than in 2019, the overall area of commercial forests has grown. This means Dunedin’s trees are anticipated to absorb relatively more emissions over the coming years.

“Trees help by absorbing carbon while they’re growing - but to achieve the city’s Zero Carbon targets the most important thing is cutting emissions we produce in the first place.”

What gross and net emissions mean

• Gross emissions = The total greenhouse gases produced in the city.
• Net emissions = Gross emissions minus the carbon absorbed by trees and forests.

DCC’s organisational emissions

DCC measures and reports on emissions at two scales:

• DCC’s organizational emissions, generated by DCC’s operations (e.g. emissions from the Green Island landfill, emissions from DCC fleet vehicles)
• Emissions generated by Dunedin city as a whole (e.g. road transport emissions from all residents and visitors driving on Dunedin’s roads)

Staff are providing the Policy and Planning Committee meeting of 2 April with an update on how DCC’s organisational emissions are tracking for July-December 2025, along with the updated Dunedin city emissions inventory for 2024/25.

Still didn't find what you were looking for?