1. Emissions

  2. Transport

  3. Road

Emissions - Transport - Road

What is Mt CO₂-e? Emissions are a combination of gases. Most are Carbon Dioxide (CO₂). The other gases are measured as a Carbon Dioxide equivalent (CO₂-e) based on the amount of heat they trap in the atmosphere. They’re measured in Million Tonnes (Mt).

Total Road Emissions

FULL DATA

Explainer

Australia has legislated targets for greenhouse gas emissions.

  • 2030 Target: 43% lower than 2005
  • 2050 Target: Net 0 Mt CO₂-e

This data helps you track progress to those targets. 

It shows Australia's yearly net emissions and how they compare with 2005.

FAQs: Why is 2005 the baseline? What does 'Net' mean? Click the Read more button below. 

Read more

Data

Total Road Emissions

Australia

YEAR

Mt CO₂-e

NET

v 2005

2012-13 79.3 1.1% 11.0%
2013-14 79.2 0.1% 10.9%
2014-15 80.8 2.0% 13.1%
2015-16 81.6 1.0% 14.3%
2016-17 82.7 1.3% 15.8%
2017-18 84.4 2.1% 18.2%
2018-19 84.7 0.3% 18.6%
2019-20 79.6 6.0% 11.5%
2020-21 78.6 1.3% 10.1%

Road Emissions Over Time

Total Road Emissions

Australia

Transport Emissions 2023

Total Road Emissions

Australia

States and Territories

Explainer

Several factors affects transport emissions across Australia's states and territories, including population size, urban planning, geographic challenges, and transport policies.

Despite its lower population, WA has considerable transport emissions due to long travel distances and a strong dependence on road and air transport, especially in remote areas.

Read more

Data

States and Territories

Australia

STATE / TERRITORY

per 100k

Mt CO₂-e

NET

NSW 0.257 21.0 8.9%
Qld 0.345 18.4 2.9%
Vic 0.265 17.6 3.1%
WA 0.390 10.9 1.6%
SA 0.293 5.3 1.2%
Tas 0.282 1.6 2.9%
NT 0.431 1.1 0.5%
ACT 0.218 0.995 12.1%
Australia 0.295 76.8 2.4%

Total Road Emissions by State

States and Territories

Australia

Per Capita Road Emissions by State

States and Territories

Australia

Emissions by Road Type

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

Data

Emissions by Road Type

Australia

SECTOR

PJ

NET

Cars 554 5.9%
Heavy-Duty Trucks and Buses 312 2.3%
Light Commercial Vehicles 240 0
International Aviation 154 40.0%
Aviation 83 31.7%
Railways 52 0
Maritime 31 10.7%
International Marine 26 10.3%
Other 18 5.9%
Motorcycles 3 0
Transport 1,473 2.6%

Trend

Emissions by Road Type

Australia

Road Type Emissions 21/22

Emissions by Road Type

Australia

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