1. Emissions

Emissions

Dashboard for greenhouse gas emissions in Australia. 'Mt CO₂-e' means million tonnes of Carbon Dioxide equivalent (the measurement for greenhouse gases).

Total Net Emissions

Full Data

Explainer

Australia has two emissions targets:

  • Net Zero by 2050
  • 43% below 2005 levels by 2030

'Net' means total emissions put into the atmosphere minus emissions removed from the atmosphere (either by human intervention or natural processes).

View Emissions Dashboards here.

Mt CO₂-e is Million Tonnes of Carbon Dioxide equivalent. Dataset updated quarterly. Source: DCCEEW.

Data

Total Net Emissions

Australia

YEAR

Mt CO₂-e

v PREV YEAR

v 2005

Jun 22 438.4 1.4% 28.5%
Sep 22 441.8 0.4% 28.0%
Dec 22 441.5 0.3% 28.0%
Mar 23 442.9 0.3% 27.8%
Jun 23 444.6 1.4% 27.5%
Sep 23 440.3 0.3% 28.2%
Dec 23 439.0 0.6% 28.4%
Mar 24 440.2 0.6% 28.2%
Jun 24 440.8 0.9% 28.1%

Trend

Total Net Emissions

Australia

Total Gross Emissions

Explainer

When you hear the term 'Net Zero', have you ever thought about what 'Net' means?

It means total emissions put into the atmosphere minus emissions removed from the atmosphere.

So, gross emissions, are the total emissions put into the atmosphere before any removals.

In Australia, only one sector is responsible for both releasing and removing greenhouse gases: Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF).

We have removed LULUCF from the total net emissions, as a proxy for Australia's gross emissions.

Trend

Total Gross Emissions

Australia

States and Territories

Explainer

Australia's Constitution divides powers and responsibilities between its eight states and territories and the federal government. 

Each state and territory has its own unique economy, priorities and policies.

They are making different progress towards Net Zero for different reasons. 

Drill down into each state, and click below to learn more.

Read more

Data

States and Territories

Australia

STATE / TERRITORY

per 100k

Mt CO₂-e

NET

Qld 2.332 124.1 13.4%
NSW 1.359 111.0 2.9%
Vic 1.278 84.7 5.4%
WA 2.957 82.5 12.0%
NT 6.687 16.7 9.4%
SA 0.869 15.8 20.5%
ACT 0.281 1.3 16.3%
Tas -0.760 -4.3 18.5%
Australia 1.663 432.6 1.4%

Source: DCCEEW via OnlyFacts

Trend

States and Territories

Australia

Source: DCCEEW via OnlyFacts

Comparison

States and Territories

Australia

Source: DCCEEW via OnlyFacts

Sector Emissions

Sector Dashboard

Explainer

When countries report their emissions, they're divided into sectors. Here are some key terms:

  • Fugitive emissions are released during gas, oil and coal production.
  • Industrial processes mean chemical, metal and mineral production, as well as fridges and air-conditioners.
  • Stationary energy means burning fuel for energy (e.g. gas, coal) in settings other than transport, such as power plants or buildings.

For more, click the Read more button.

Read more

Data

Sector Emissions

Australia

SECTOR

Mt CO₂-e

NET

Agriculture 84.5 2.3%
Electricity 153.0 0.2%
Fugitive Emissions 47.1 1.4%
Industrial Processes 32.3 1.3%
Land Use -88.4 0
Stationary Energy 99.7 2.3%
Transport 98.6 2.0%
Waste 13.9 0
Total 440.8 0.9%

Trend

Sector Emissions

Australia

Comparison

Sector Emissions

Australia

Countries

All Countries

Explainer

How does Australia rank compared to other countries?

  • Raw emissions: 15th highest
  • Emissions per person: 8th highest

Click the arrows in the table to sort.

Note: This data source is the Potsdam Institute in Germany. It excludes emissions from the Land Use sector. To learn more, click Read more below.

Read more

Data

Countries

Australia

COUNTRY

per 100k

Mt CO₂

NET

China 1.001 14,463.60 0.0%
USA 1.917 6,383.40 0.8%
India 0.250 3,484.60 5.0%
Russia 1.397 2,038.80 5.5%
Indonesia 0.426 1,177.43 22.4%
Japan 0.926 1,167.52 0.1%
Brazil 0.533 1,139.64 1.2%
Iran 1.214 1,032.48 1.3%

Source: PRIMAP-hist via OnlyFacts

Trend

Countries

Australia

Source: PRIMAP-hist via OnlyFacts

Data

Countries

Australia

YEAR

Mt CO₂-e

v PREV YEAR

v 2005

Jun 22 438.4 1.4% 28.5%
Sep 22 441.8 0.4% 28.0%
Dec 22 441.5 0.3% 28.0%
Mar 23 442.9 0.3% 27.8%
Jun 23 444.6 1.4% 27.5%
Sep 23 440.3 0.3% 28.2%
Dec 23 439.0 0.6% 28.4%
Mar 24 440.2 0.6% 28.2%
Jun 24 440.8 0.9% 28.1%

Emissions Revisions

Explainer

Australia’s reported greenhouse gas emissions are often revised in later reports. This page tracks every version of reported emissions in the quarterly inventory updates.

How to read these charts: The lines show Australia's reported emissions in million tonnes of Carbon Dioxide equivalent (Mt CO2-e). Each line represents the date they were reported. Click on the categories in the legend to deselect.

Acknowledgment: This topic was inspired by Ketan Joshi, an author and communications consultant who focuses on climate. The chart concepts below also come from him.

Trend

Emissions Revisions

Australia

Spotlight on Roads

Explainer

Transport is Australia's second-biggest greenhouse gas emitter, after electricity.

'Road' is the biggest category in transport emissions, by far. When we drill down into 'road' emissions, cars dominate. Just 2% of Australia's 21 million registered vehicles are electric.

That figure is growing. But something else has changed. There are more diesel vehicles on the roads too.

Read more

Trend

Spotlight on Roads

Australia

Source: DCCEEW via OnlyFacts

News

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