December 28, 2015
Graph of the Day: Australia carbon dioxide emissions, projected to 2020
22 December 2015 (Department of the Environment) – Figure 5 shows domestic emissions by sector. The key changes expected in emissions by sector to 2019–20 are:
- expected growth in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) production will result in emissions from this subsector increasing by over 27 Mt CO2-e. This represents around three quarters of the expected increase in Australia’s emissions in the electricity, direct combustion and fugitives sectors to 2019–20. LNG exported from Australia is generally used for gas-fired power generation which is considered an important fuel for many countries looking to reduce their energy-related emissions;
- emissions related to transport are expected to increase by around 10 Mt CO2-e due to growth in passenger vehicle and the continuation of low oil prices. The finalisation of fuel efficiency standards will likely lead to a significant downward revision in the emissions outlook for this sector;
- emissions associated with growth in coal exports are expected to rise by over 4 Mt CO2-e by 2019–20. This estimate will be reviewed in future projections as the impact of low international coal prices is further assessed; and
- emissions associated with HFCs and other synthetic gases are expected to rise by around 2 Mt CO2-e and measures to phase-down HFCs would see this trend reverse.
Tracking to 2020: an interim update of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions projections