Environmental » Healthy Environment
We have clean water, fresh air and healthy soils. Well-functioning and diverse ecosystems make up an environment that can support our needs. Resources are used efficiently. There is minimal waste and pollution.
What is Healthy Environment?
Good air, water and soil quality, and reducing waste are all essential to maintaining a healthy environment and ensuring the sustainability of resources. Water-based recreational activities are part of an outdoor-focused way of life and it is essential that the water is of a high quality. Protecting land through open space covenants also helps maintain ecosystem diversity, along with natural and cultural heritage. Primary land uses such as agriculture, dairying and cropping are key contributors to an economy but they can have a negative influence on the environment.
Healthy Environment is made up of 16 indicators that were selected to measure progress towards the healthy environment outcome definition (shown above). Please see below for the raw data available over the 2001 to 2010 study period for each of the healthy environment indicators.
As with the Environmental well-being GPI (which is the same as the Healthy Environment GPI), the available indicator data that forms the healthy environment outcome area was used to calculate individual index values for each indicator for each year over the 2001 to 2010 study period. The graph below shows the average of these individual index values, and represents the healthy environment GPI for the Wellington region from 2001 to 2010.
Environmental well-being (and healthy environment) GPI, 2001-2010
What this means
The indicators within the environmental well-being (or healthy environment) GPI indicate that good progress has been made towards the healthy environment community outcome goals and improving our overall environmental well-being. The greatest gains were observed for residents rating of air pollution as a city problem, fresh water suitability for recreation and volume diverted from landfills per capita. Overall there has been a 12.5% increase in the region's environmental well-being since 2001.
Did you know?
Natural disasters (and the cost of cleaning up after them) actually create an increase in GDP, thus counting natural disasters as a benefit to our economy. From a GPI perspective, natural disasters would be a decline in our well-being
16 Indicators are being used to track Healthy Environment in the Wellington region
Click on each indicator below to access further information
Greenhouse gas emissions
Why is this indicator important?
This indicator gives a measure of contributions to climate change and is a proxy for resource depletion. Climate change is now widely acknowledged as the most serious environmental challenge of the century and perhaps the most serious economic and social challenge. Reduced greenhouse gas emissions would indicate improvements in well-being across a number of areas.
Greenhouse gas emissions per capita, 2001-2011
Findings
- In 2007, greenhouse gas emissions in the Wellington region were 5.75 tonnes/capita. This is below the New Zealand average of 12.23 tonnes/capita.
- The region’s largest emissions came from the energy sector (61.9%), followed by agricultural emissions (30.9%).
Greenhouse gas emissions
Definition and data details
Indicator Definition
The net annual emissions of all greenhouse gases divided by the estimated resident population.
Data Source
GWRC regional greenhouse gas emissions inventory tool
Last updated 24 July 2012
While care has been taken in processing, analysing and extracting information, we cannot guarantee that the information is free from error and we shall not be liable for any loss suffered through the use, directly or indirectly, of any information, product or service.
