Emissions inventory report 2006-2007 Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC)

Background#

In 2007 all public service departments were directed (POL Min (07) 10/17) to provide Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventories for the 2006/07 financial year to the Ministry for the Environment by 30 September 2007. The methodology was sent to all departments via guidelines and spreadsheets with emission factors for working out the total of Tonnes CO₂-e for travel, waste and energy.

Follow-up#

Utilising the information contained in the Emissions Inventory, our department will be able to produce an Emissions Reduction Plan recommending implementing changes to ensure we are steadily reducing the Tonnes CO₂-e we produce, thereby reducing the impact of DPMC activities on the environment. This plan will be submitted to Ministry for the Environment before 21 December 2007.

Maarten Wevers, Chief Executive

Table of contents#

Emissions inventory summary (7.3.1 e)#

1. Introduction (7.3.1 p)
2. Statement of Intent
3. Persons responsible (7.3.1 b)
4. Organisation description (7.3.1 a)
5. Organisational boundaries included for this report period (7.3.1 d)
6. Emissions sources inclusions (7.3.1 e)
7. Emission sources exclusions (7.3.1 h)
8. Base year selected (7.3.1 j)
9. Data collection quantification of methodologies (7.3.1 l and n)
10. Emission reductions and removals (7.3.1 g)
11. Uncertainties (7.3.1 o)
12. Verification of the GHG inventory (7.3.1 q)
13. Amendment – 11 April 2008

Emissions inventory summary (7.3.1 e)#

(7.3.1 e) – definition of emissions by ‘kind’

• CO₂ Carbon dioxide
• CH₄ Methane
• N₂O Nitrous oxide, also known as dinitrogen oxide or dinitrogen monoxide

Breakdown of specific emissions by ‘kind’

1. Introduction (7.3.1 p)#

This emissions inventory report has been prepared and written in accordance with Part 7.3.1 of ISO 14064-1 and is designed to be used in the process of becoming carbon neutral by 2012.

2. Statement of intent#

The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet is one of the 28 stage two core public service agencies that will be on the path to carbon neutrality by the year 2012. This programme will be broken down into three key stages which are set out below;

• Measure emissions
• Reduce emissions
• Offset unavoidable emissions¹

3. Persons responsible (7.3.1 b)#

• The Chief Executive, Maarten Wevers, has overall responsibility for the emissions inventory
• The Corporate Services Manager, Brent Anderson, has reviewed the documents for the carbon neutral programme
• Trish Nelson and Catherine Hutton prepared the documents for the emissions inventory

4. Organisation description (7.3.1 a)#

DPMC has four roles – to lead, advise, support, and co-ordinate. As well as providing impartial high-quality advice and support to the Executive (the Prime Minister, the Governor-General, and the Cabinet), DPMC is required at times to lead on specific areas of work. It also helps co-ordinate the efforts of departments so that decision making takes account of all relevant viewpoints and is as coherent and complete as possible.

Supporting the Prime Minister and Cabinet#

The Prime Minister is the political leader of the government and the country – and its main public “face”. The Prime Minister is also the chair of Cabinet, and is responsible for the effective operation of collective government. These roles combine political and executive responsibilities.

DPMC provides three kinds of direct support to the Prime Minister:

• issues that are the direct responsibility of the Prime Minister
• issues across the range of government business
• support to the Prime Minister.

A totally separate body, the Office of the Prime Minister, also advises the Prime Minister and is the primary point of responsibility for managing political issues and relationships with other political parties.

Supporting the Governor-General#

DPMC also supports the Governor-General in carrying out their functions. New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy. This means that The Queen is New Zealand’s Head of State; but her powers and those of her representative, the Governor-General, are almost always exercised only on the advice of ministers. The Governor-General is therefore a significant figure in the constitutional framework, with constitutional, ceremonial, and community roles that together build and foster our national identity and unity.

Bringing the system together#

A great deal of DPMC’s activities focus on facilitating government decision making at a strategic and operational level. To achieve this, the department relies on close relationships with other departments and agencies and – depending on the issue – on local government, business, and the community.

DPMC's business units#

The department has 125 staff in 6 business units: Cabinet Office; Policy Advisory Group (PAG); External Assessments Bureau (EAB); Corporate Services Unit; Domestic and External Security Group (DESG); and Government House. An outline of the work of each business unit can be seen on this DPMC’s website.

5. Organisational boundaries included for this report period (7.3.1 d)#

The department uses formal delegations of financial authority to define organisational boundaries.

The organisational boundaries of an agency are defined by statute and for the purposes of the GHG inventory were to include core departmental activities only. The Government House figures include some Crown activities (waste, electrical and general transport) relating to the total use of government house, but exclude the Governor-General (and staff accompanying) for air travel and private car hire.

6. Emissions sources inclusions (7.3.1 e)#

Emissions sources were identified with reference to the methodology described in the GHG Protocol and the ISO 14064-1 (2006) standard. Identification of emissions sources was achieved using the specific guidance on Scope 3 factors included in the Cabinet Paper POL (07) 131: Towards a Sustainable New Zealand: Carbon Neutral Public Service. Further guidance was obtained from the Ministry for the Environment.

These emissions have then been classified into three categories. The definition of each has been adapted from the GHG Protocol. The three types of emissions are:

• Direct emissions (Scope 1): emissions from sources that are owned or controlled by the agency.
• Indirect emissions (Scope 2): emissions from the generation of purchased electricity consumed by the agency.
• Indirect emissions (Scope 3): emissions that occur as a consequence of the activities of the agency, but occur from sources not owned or controlled by the agency. Inclusions of these are determined on case by case basis, and relate to the agency’s aims of the programme.

No biomass is used in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet operations and therefore no emissions from the combustion of biomass are included. (7.3.1 f).

To our knowledge no emissions associated with the generation of imported electricity, heat or steam are used by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. (7.3.1 i).

Scope selected for actual emissions#

7. Emission sources exclusions (7.3.1 h)#

Sources of GHG emissions or sinks which have not been included.

8. Base year selected (7.3.1 j)#

This is the first report for the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. The chosen base year calculated for this report is the year from 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2007.

9. Data collection quantification of methodologies (7.3.1 l and n)#

The table below details the sources of the relevant data and the emission factors which have been used. All the factors have been approved by the Ministry for the Environment. The amount of C0₂e has been calculated by multiplying the activity data sourced by the agency by the relevant emission factor. As this is the first year that the agency has produced these figures there have not been any changes in methodology to report. (7.3.1 k)

10. Emissions reductions and removals (7.3.1 g)#

The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has achieved no significant emissions reductions to date as this first reporting period has established our baseline year emissions.

The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet will have a management plan in place for managing and reducing emissions by early 2008 with the aim to be on a path to carbon neutrality by 2012.

11. Uncertainties (7.3.1 o)#

12. Verification of the GHG inventory (7.3.1 q)#

This GHG emissions inventory report has not been verified by a third party independent auditor.

13. Amendment – 11 April 2008#

In December 2007 DPMC submitted this document to Ministry for the Environment (MfE) showing total emissions of 439.868223 Tonnes CO₂-e. On 11 April 2008 DPMC were notified by MfE that 2005/2006 and 2006/2007 natural gas figures were incorrectly calculated. Our Emissions Inventory Summary (7.3.1e) has now been altered to reflect the correct figures. This change reduced DPMC total emissions by 22 Tonnes CO₂-e which is the total now reflected in the updated document.