Wellington, Apr 18 (IANS): The New Zealand government is committed to doubling renewable energy capacity as new data show that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999.

According to New Zealand's latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published on Thursday, gross emissions fell to 78.4 million tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2022, four per cent lower than in 2021, Xinhua news agency reported.

The data show higher renewable energy was a key contributor to lower gross emissions in 2022, said Climate Change Minister Simon Watts.

Nearly 90 per cent of New Zealand's electricity in 2022 came from renewable sources, Watts said, adding work has been started to double renewable energy production to continue this positive trend.

To continue the downward trend in emissions, the government has announced an ambitious target in reducing net greenhouse gas emissions, aligned with the country's goal of net zero emissions in 2050, the Minister said.

Leadership is needed from businesses, communities, and individual New Zealanders to find new and innovative ways of reducing emissions, he added.

The New Zealand government will deliver its second emissions reduction plan at the end of this year to set out how to meet emissions budgets for the second half of this decade.