Dashboard for greenhouse gas emissions in Australia. 'Mt CO₂-e' means million tonnes of Carbon Dioxide equivalent (the measurement for greenhouse gases).
Emissions
Dashboard for greenhouse gas emissions in Australia. 'Mt CO₂-e' means million tonnes of Carbon Dioxide equivalent (the measurement for greenhouse gases).
Australia has two emissions targets:
'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.
AUS
Total Net Emissions
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% |
Source: DCCEEW Quarterly updates via OnlyFacts | Updated: 01-09-24
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.
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.
AUS
States and Territories
When countries report their emissions, they're divided into sectors. Here are some key terms:
For more, click the Read more button.
AUS
Sector Emissions
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% |
Source: DCCEEW Quarterly updates via OnlyFacts | Updated: 01-09-24
How does Australia rank compared to other countries?
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.
Worldwide
Countries
Source: PRIMAP-hist via OnlyFacts | Updated: 27-02-24
AUS
Countries
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% |
Source: DCCEEW Quarterly updates via OnlyFacts | Updated: 01-09-24
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.
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.