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).
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.
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% |
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.
States and Territories
Australia
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.
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% |
