Eloise Gibson writes in the New Zealand Herald that the recent dry spell has led to lower greenhouse gas emissions.
The drop in emissions is due to the increased culling farmers had to undertake in order to last through the drought, which has been particularly severe in in the Waikato and north of Taupo.
An excerpt: (read in full here)
“The Ministry said the drop in projected greenhouse gases since the last tally in 2009 was because the country had recovered more slowly than expected from a nationwide drought, and some regions had experienced another drought.
“Sheep numbers fell by 5 per cent, deer numbers by 6 per cent and beef numbers were stable, while dairy numbers increased by 4 per cent, it said.
“That had shaved 6.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (or 3.5 per cent) off expected farming emissions to 2012.”