🏭 Introduction to Emissions on OnlyFacts

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Why Emissions Data Matters

• Global commitment – The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty adopted by 196 parties at COP21 in 2015 (UNFCCC). Its goal is to:
  • Limit global warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels.
  • Pursue efforts to cap warming at 1.5°C. 
• 🇦🇺 Australia’s targets – Under the Paris Agreement and the Climate Change Act 2022, Australia has committed to:
  • Reducing emissions by 43% below 2005 levels by 2030.
  • A multi-year emissions budget for 2021–2030.
• Why track emissions? – As the saying goes, ‘if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.’
  • OnlyFacts tracks emissions data to provide transparency and insights into local, national, and global progress on emissions reductions.

What OnlyFacts Covers

• Australia’s progress against greenhouse gas targets
• Breakdowns by states and territories
• Breakdowns by sectors
• Corporate emissions
• Carbon credits

How to Read the Data

• What does Mt CO₂-e stand for? 
  • Mt CO₂-e stands for Million Tonnes of Carbon Dioxide equivalent—a standard unit for measuring greenhouse gases. To know more, read our guide to greenhouse gases.
• Why compare with 2005?
  • In tables, you’ll often see:
    • "v prev year" – Shows the percentage change compared to the previous year.
    • "v 2005" – Shows the percentage change compared to 2005 levels.
  • Why 2005? Australia’s emissions reduction targets are benchmarked against 2005 levels, with a goal of 43% lower emissions by 2030. These comparisons help track progress.
• Terminology: 
  • Fugitive emissions – Released during gas, oil, and coal production.
  • Industrial processes – Emissions from chemical, metal, and mineral production, as well as refrigeration and air-conditioning.
  • Stationary energy – Burning fuel for non-transport energy (e.g. power plants, buildings).
  • Land Use (LULUCF) – Stands for Land Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry, which includes includes emissions and removals from deforestation, reforestation, afforestation, and land management practices. It accounts for carbon released from land clearing and agriculture, as well as carbon absorbed by forests, soil, and vegetation. 
  • Scope 1 – Direct emissions from company activities.
  • Scope 2 – Indirect emissions from purchased electricity.
  • Scope 3 – Indirect emissions from a company’s value chain (including suppliers and customers).

Main Emissions Dashboard

The Emissions dashboard provides:

• Total net and gross emissions (more on that below).
• Breakdown by states and territories – 📌 Tip: Click on a state or territory name in the table to see full data history, or use the geolocation dropdown (top right) to access a state-level dashboard.
• Breakdown by sectors.
• Highest-emitting countries – 📌 Tip: Click 'All countries' or the triangle at the bottom of the table for the full list.

Net vs Gross Emissions

• Net emissions = Total emissions minus removals (e.g., carbon sequestration).
• Gross emissions = Total emissions before removals (sometimes called "real" or "absolute" emissions").
• Why track both? Australia’s quarterly reports only release net emissions.- OnlyFacts calculates gross emissions by removing the LULUCF sector from net totals—since LULUCF is the only sector responsible for both emitting and removing carbon.

Emissions Revisions Dashboard

Australia’s reported emissions data is often revised in later reports. The Emissions Revisions dashboard:

• Tracks every version of reported emissions across quarterly inventory updates.
• Improves transparency by showing how past emissions figures change over time.

Corporate Emissions Dashboard

Corporations account for most of Australia’s emissions. The Corporate Emissions dashboard provides:

• Australian corporate emissions data under the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER) scheme.
• NGER covers Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions.

Who Reports Under NGER?

Businesses and corporations that exceed certain thresholds must report emissions to the Clean Energy Regulator if they:

• Emit more than 50,000 tonnes of CO₂-e per year (for a corporate group).
• Consume more than 200 terajoules of energy per year.
• Produce more than 100 terajoules of energy per year.

Carbon Credits Dashboard

• The Carbon Credits dashboard provides data about the number of carbon credits issued in Australia.
  • Carbon credits allow organisations to buy and sell credits for reducing emissions.
  • In Australia, carbon credits are called ACCUs (Australian Carbon Credit Units).
    • 1 ACCU = 1 tonne of CO₂-e prevented from entering the atmosphere (through storage or avoidance).
• 📌 Carbon credits & offsets are hotly debated – Read more here.
• This dashboard is in beta and will continue to expand.

Sectors Dashboard

The Sectors dashboard provides a quick view of the role each sector plays in Australia's emissions.

• The electricity sector has made substantial progress in emissions reductions.
• Industrial processes include hard-to-abate emissions, meaning they come from chemical reactions or high-heat processes that have few viable alternatives for decarbonisation. These include cement, steel, aluminium, and chemical production, where emissions are a byproduct of manufacturing.
• 📌 Tip: Full sector dashboards are available for Electricity and Transport (with more in development).

Data Lags & Reporting Challenges

Emissions data lags behind due to reporting cycles.

• The most detailed emissions data comes from the Australian National Greenhouse Accounts (NGA), published annually.
  • This includes state/territory breakdowns and sub-sector analyses.
  • However, it is at least two years behind. For example, emissions for FY 2021-22 were published in April 2024.
• To provide more frequent updates, Australia also publishes National Greenhouse Gas Inventory: Quarterly Updates, which contain:
  • Less detailed but more timely data.
  • Estimates to bridge the reporting gap.

OnlyFacts uses both sources to provide the best mix of granularity and timeliness.

Data Sources & Updates

• National & Sector emissions — DCCEEW Quarterly updates (updated quarterly)
• State emissions — DCCEEW National Greenhouse Accounts (updated annually)
• Global emissions — PRIMAP-hist (updated annually)
• Carbon credits — Clean Energy Regulator (CER) (updated quarterly)
• Corporate data — NGER via Clean Energy Regulator (CER) (updated annually)

Next Steps: Explore Emissions Data

Step 1: View the Main Emissions Dashboard

• Go to the Emissions Dashboard
  • You'll see a summary of Australia’s emissions – net/gross, state and sector breakdowns, top-emitting countries, and historical revisions.
  • Use the geo dropdown to explore state-level data.

Step 2: Explore Sector Emissions

• Go to the Sector Emissions Dashboard
  • You'll see a summary of each sector in Australia, then a quick view of each sector’s trend.
  • Use the geo dropdown to explore state-level data.

 Step 3: Find a Company you’re interested in

• Go to the Corporate Emissions Dashboard
  • You'll see the big picture of corporate emissions in Australia, then the top 10 corporate emitters in the NGER by total, scope 1 and scope 2
  • Click on ‘full list’ or the arrows at the bottom of the tables to see the full lists.

Explore the Emissions dashboard now.