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Energy

Energy is an essential part of everyday life. Virtually all of our everyday activities and productive processes involve energy in one form or another. Fuels and electricity power our transport systems, heat our buildings and produce the goods and services that underpin New Zealand’s economic and social well-being.

New Zealand has access to a diverse range of renewable and non-renewable energy sources. The production and use of renewable and non-renewable energy affects the environment in a number of ways, for example:

  • The extraction and processing of fossil fuels affects adjacent air, land and sea.

  • The burning of fossil fuels contributes to climate change through a build-up of greenhouse gases. It also contributes to localised air pollution due to particulate emissions.

  • Construction of storage lakes and dams for hydro-electric generation alters the surrounding land, ecosystems and settlements.

  • Wind farms have a visual impact on the landscape; selecting suitable sites for wind power developments can be difficult because such sites are often exposed locations on prominent ridgelines.

As our population grows and our lifestyles change, so do our energy needs.

Recognising the specific environmental impacts associated with each type of energy production and use, and tracking how New Zealand’s energy profile is changing over time is important when developing energy policy. It gives decision-makers the information they need to set the environmental and health impacts of energy options alongside economic and other considerations.

Environmental indicators

Two national environmental indicators are used to report on energy as follows:

Limitations of the energy environmental indicators.

This information has come from the Energy supply and demand environmental report card.

 

For more information on other national energy indicators see the Ministry of Economic Development’s New Zealand Energy Indicator.

Last updated: 24 July 2009