Greenhouse gas emissions
The Australian Government's Department of Climate Change (formerly the Australian Greenhouse Office), reports on Australia's greenhouse gas emissions and sinks. In consultation with the States and Territories, the Queensland Greenhouse Gas Inventory, 2004 (and the inventories for the other States and Territories) have been produced as part of the Australia's National Greenhouse Accounts. The emissions estimates in the State and Territory Greenhouse Gas Inventories, 2004 are consistent with those in Australia's National Greenhouse Gas Inventory, 2004.
Australia's emissions
The Australian Government has estimated that under Kyoto accounting, Australia's net greenhouse gas emissions in 2004 (564.7 Mt CO2-e) were 2.3% over 1990 levels, or an increase of 2.5% over net emissions recorded in 2003. The largest national sectoral increases over the 1990-2004 period occurred in the stationary energy (43%), and the transport (23.4%) sectors.
Australia has reduced its emissions per capita over the period 1990 to 2004 by 12.7% from 32.3 to 28.2 tonnes CO2-e.
Queensland's emissions
The Queensland Greenhouse Gas Inventory, 2004, reports estimates of greenhouse gas emissions for the period 1990 to 2004 and is prepared according to the international rules and procedures applicable to Australia's Kyoto 108% emissions target. It was the first time that a complete annual time-series for Queensland had been reported.
Queensland's net greenhouse gas emissions in 2004 were 158.5 Mt CO2-e, representing approximately 28 percent of Australia's net emissions. Queensland's net greenhouse emissions over the period 1990 to 2004 declined by 4.9 percent, and increased by 3.1 percent from 2003 to 2004. The level, trend and sectoral composition of these emissions are shown in Figure 1 and 2.
Queensland has reduced its emissions per capita over the period 1990 to 2004 by 29.0 % from 58.2 tonnes CO2-e to 41.3 tonnes CO2-e.
Figure1: Queensland-Emissions, 1990-2004
(Source: State and Territory Greenhouse Gas Emissions 2004, AGO 2006).
Most of Queensland's greenhouse gases originate from electricity generation, transport, and land use activities such as those arising from agricultural production. Key drivers behind Queensland's emissions include the State's energy-intensive and expanding industrial and rural based economy, long travelling distances, and growing population.
The combined energy sub-sectors of stationary energy (including electricity generation), transport and fugitive emissions (from fossil fuel extraction and distribution) were the largest source of Queensland's net emissions, contributing around 57 percent to total net emissions. The sectors of Land-Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (which includes deforestation and sinks) and agriculture (primarily emissions from livestock) contributed approximately 37 percent to Queensland's emissions profile.
The sectors with the strongest sources of emissions growth for Queensland over the 1990-2004 period include, fugitive emissions (109.3%), emissions from industrial processes (106.8%), stationary energy (83.5%) and transport (53.1%).
Emissions growth declined in the Land Use Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) sector (-63.3%) and in the waste (-1.7%) sector over the 1990-2004 period. A decline in emissions growth in LULUCF, waste, and also agriculture was seen between 2003 and 2004.
Figure2: Queensland-1990, 2004 Emissions by Sector
(Source: State and Territory Greenhouse Gas Emissions 2004, AGO 2006).
More information on Queensland's greenhouse gas emissions is available from the Department of Climate Change.
Last updated: 29 February 2008