Explainers

Burning fossil fuels for energy creates 80% of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions. Electricity creates 35%.

This might sound obvious, but the term 'Net Zero' has two important parts. Most people focus on the 'Zero'. That means, we're aiming to release zero tonnes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere in the year 2050. But we should also focus on the 'Net'. That means, the target of zero is a calculation of the total emissions we put into the atmosphere minus the emissions removed from the atmosphere. How are greenhouse gases removed? We have removed LULUCF from the total net emissions, as a prox

Shifting to renewable energy has two parts: * First, we need to make it * Then, we need to use it Australia has pledged to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030. This promise is about making renewable energy. It’s the sheer capability of generating it. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Australia’s renewable energy generation capacity in 2022 was 49 GW. So, if we intend to fulfil this pledge, that means our 2030 target is 147 GW. The Clean Energy Council r

OnlyFacts references an ‘unofficial’ renewable energy target of 82% by 2030. The Clean Energy Council published a thorough breakdown of the origin and evolution of this target. In short, Australia's ‘ambition’ to achieve 82% renewable electricity generation by 2030 emerged from modelling for the ALP ahead of the 2022 Federal Election. The analysis looked at the Rewiring the Nation policy, which involved investing billions in electricity transmission projects. “RepuTex predicted that the succe

The largest electricity network in Australia is the National Electricity Market (NEM), handling more than 80% of production and consumption. This runs down the east and southeast coast of Australia, covering coastal Queensland, NSW, the ACT, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. The NEM enables interstate trade in electricity. It uses high voltage interconnectors to link the transmission networks in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. The AEMC outlines ‘the

To make energy data clearer for more people, we’ve simplified fuel source classifications. Below is how OnlyFacts groups fuels in its data and charts. Fossil fuels: * Coal – Includes black and brown coal. * Gas – Includes diesel gas, coal seam methane, and waste coal mine gas. * Liquid fuel – Includes diesel and kerosene. * Other – Includes wind-diesel and small amounts listed as 'Other' or 'Multiple Sources' in the data source (Open Electricity). Renewable fuels: * Hydro * Solar * Wi

People often use the words energy and electricity interchangeably, but they’re not the same thing. Electricity is a form of energy. In 2023, the electricity sector made up about 20% of the world’s total energy consumption, according to the IEA. The other sectors include transport, industrial processes, heating and agriculture. Electrifying Energy For the world to meet its decarbonisation targets, electricity needs to deliver a bigger slice of the energy pie. That means using electricity in a

This article relates to the country emissions data on OnlyFacts. Explore each country's emissions here. Find climate data overwhelming? Make sure you’re signed up for our free weekly briefing and social channels, where we break it down and send updates. Why Country Emissions Data Matters Greenhouse gases pose a global challenge. Each country's emissions affect our shared atmosphere. In 2021, 197 countries agreed to the Glasgow Climate Pact at COP26, which: * Reaffirmed the Paris Agreement's