September 19th, 2024
New data released recently by Stats NZ paints a concerning picture of climate change in Aotearoa New Zealand. A striking eight out of the 10 warmest years ever recorded up to 2022 have occurred within the past decade. The most recent, 2022, is marked as the warmest year on record.
Spanning a period of 114 years, the accumulated data from various sites across New Zealand reveals significant long-term changes in climate. The dominant trend is one of increasing temperatures. "New Zealand’s annual average temperature rose by 1.26 degrees Celsius between 1909 and 2022," Jones elaborated.
The temperature environmental indicator, recently updated by Stats NZ, showcases the national average temperatures from 1909 to 2022. This compilation is based on the 'seven-station' temperature series of the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA). Additionally, temperature recordings from 30 different sites from 1972 to 2022 are also presented.
Interestingly, all of these sites witnessed an uptick in their average annual temperatures between 1972 and 2022. Seasonal patterns also echoed this warming trend. Every site registered warmer winters, and a significant 28 out of 30 sites observed warmer summers and autumns.
These temperature escalations in New Zealand align with global trends. Worldwide, average temperatures have surged by roughly 1 degree Celsius over the past century. Such spikes in temperatures can profoundly impact various sectors like agriculture, energy demand, and recreation, not to mention the adverse effects on ecosystems.
Beyond temperature metrics, Stats NZ also unveiled other climate indicators. These include data on drought, rainfall, extreme weather conditions such as wind and rainfall, El Niño Southern Oscillation, atmospheric ozone, and greenhouse gas concentrations. It's noteworthy that recent extreme weather events in 2023, including cyclones Hale and Gabrielle, haven't been encompassed in these indicators.
As a collaborative initiative with the Ministry for the Environment, Stats NZ periodically updates environmental indicators under their Environmental Reporting programme. These comprehensive indicators, spanning diverse environmental aspects like marine, freshwater, land, air, atmosphere, and climate, will be instrumental in shaping the upcoming report 'Our atmosphere and climate 2023', which is set to be published on 11 October 2023.