Electricity emissions coming down
Bit by bit, and panel by panel, the electricity sector is reducing its overall contribution to Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Bit by bit, and panel by panel, the electricity sector is reducing its overall contribution to Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Analysis of the updates of the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory, which have been issued since September 2004, shows the electricity sector has reduced its emissions from around 55 Mt per quarter in September 2008 to 34.6 Mt per quarter in December 2022.
Electricity consumption is a product of many factors, not least of which is the weather, but the sector has managed to decrease its overall emissions over the past 20 years – a remarkable feat given the population has increased significantly since 2004. Back then, Australia had almost 20 million people, whereas at the end of 2023 it was nearer to 27 million.
In September 2008, 33 per cent of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions came from the electricity sector, whereas now, that figure is around 30 per cent.
Our visualisation of the inventory figures shows the emissions from other sectors, such as transport, agriculture and mining, have stayed far more steady.
Releasing the latest inventory update recently, Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen said Australia’s emissions for the September 2023 quarter were lower than the same period in 2022.
Overall, Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions are now 25.4 per cent below June 2005 levels, the base year for the nation’s targets under the Paris Agreement.
The government has pledged to get that total down to 43 per cent by 2030, and is currently investigating what the target for the year 2035 should be.
Mr Bowen said the increasing share of renewables in the electricity grid helped cut the sector’s emissions by 4.9 per cent or 7.7 million tonnes over the year to September 2023.
Australia’s renewable transformation was helping push down emissions and wholesale prices at the same time, Mr Bowen said.
Originally published as Electricity emissions coming down
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