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Story: Atmosphere

Components of greenhouse gas emissions

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Components of greenhouse gas emissions

In most countries, carbon dioxide forms the largest proportion of greenhouse gas emissions. New Zealand is unique in that 37% of its emissions come from methane released from livestock. In the early 2000s there were 10 million cattle and 45 million sheep in New Zealand – which translates to a lot of methane. A major part of New Zealand’s effort to reduce emissions is focused on methane released by livestock.

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Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Source: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

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How to cite this page

Bill Allan, Katja Riedel, Richard McKenzie, Sylvia Nichol and Tom Clarkson, Atmosphere – Greenhouse gas measurements in New Zealand, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/graph/6149/components-of-greenhouse-gas-emissions (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Bill Allan, Katja Riedel, Richard McKenzie, Sylvia Nichol and Tom Clarkson, published 2 March 2009.

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joshua.k
16 May 2012
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