1. 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 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 Road Emissions

Australia

YEAR

Mt CO₂-e

NET

v 2005

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%
2021-22 76.8 2.4% 7.5%

Source: DCCEEW via OnlyFacts

Road Emissions Over Time

Total Road Emissions

Australia

Source: DCCEEW via OnlyFacts

Transport Emissions 2023

Total Road Emissions

Australia

Source: DCCEEW via OnlyFacts

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%

Source: DCCEEW via OnlyFacts

Total Road Emissions by State

States and Territories

Australia

Source: DCCEEW via OnlyFacts

Per Capita Road Emissions by State

States and Territories

Australia

Source: DCCEEW via OnlyFacts

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

Mt CO₂-e

NET

Cars 37.742 6.1%
Heavy-Duty Trucks and Buses 21.984 2.5%
Light Commercial Vehicles 16.822 0.3%
Motorcycles 0.209 8.0%

Source: DCCEEW via OnlyFacts

Trend

Emissions by Road Type

Australia

Source: DCCEEW via OnlyFacts

Road Type Emissions 21/22

Emissions by Road Type

Australia

Source: DCCEEW via OnlyFacts

News

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