54333 (2024). Lan Pham to the Minister for the Environment

54333 (2024). Lan Pham to the Minister for the Environment: Does the Ministry keep estimates on annual changes in soil carbon?

Hon Penny Simmonds: Yes, I am advised the Ministry generates estimates on annual changes in soil carbon. It does this as part of its reporting work for New Zealand’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory which is published in April each year and is publicly available on the Ministry’s website. Changes in soil carbon are included in the carbon estimates for each of the land use categories covered in the Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) sector of the Greenhouse Gas Inventory. These estimates are covered in Chapter 6 and include: forest land, cropland, grassland, wetlands, settlements, and other land.