GREENHOUSE gas emissions have decreased in Fiji, falling from a peak of 2993 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) in 2015 to 2315 tonnes four years later.
According to a recent multiple indicator cluster survey conducted by the Fiji Bureau of Statistics, gas emissions increased from 1274 tonnes of carbon dioxide in 1994 to 2993 tonnes in 2015.
The report said in 2019, net emissions fell slightly primarily due to the increased contribution of forestry and other land uses in offsetting emissions from other sectors.
“The energy sector was the largest contributor in 2019, accounting for 91.92 per cent of net emissions, followed by agriculture 22.89 per cent, waste 16.46 per cent. Industrial process and product use contributed 5.66 per cent of the net emissions,” the report stated.
“On the other hand, FOLU is the carbon sink which has offset 36.93 per cent of net emission.”
The report noted that net greenhouse gas emissions per person also followed the same trend, increasing steadily from 2.35kg in 2012 to 3.38kg in 2015, reflecting economic growth and infrastructure modernisation. However, from 2016 onwards, net emissions per person declined to 2.61kg by 2019.
The report stated that the use of fossil fuels was a major driver of the release of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.
“To mitigate the effect, Fiji pledged, under its National Climate Action Plan and the Paris Agreement, to generate 100 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.”
The report added that in recent years, renewable energy sources such as hydro, solar and wind on average contributed around 35 per cent of Fiji’s electricity generation.
“Hydropower remains the dominant renewable source, producing 1.9 PJ of electricity in 2023, a slight increase from 2014.
“Solar and wind continue to play a limited role, jointly accounting for 2.9 per cent of the total electricity produced in 2023.”
