Explainers

This article relates to the country emissions data on OnlyFacts. Explore each country's emissions here. Find climate data overwhelming? Make sure you’re signed up for our free weekly briefing and social channels, where we break it down and send updates. Why Country Emissions Data Matters Greenhouse gases pose a global challenge. Each country's emissions affect our shared atmosphere. In 2021, 197 countries agreed to the Glasgow Climate Pact at COP26, which: * Reaffirmed the Paris Agreement's

What is CO₂-e? Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are a combination of gases that trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere. * Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) makes up roughly 75% of greenhouse gases. CO2 is released through activities like burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and various industrial processes. * Methane (CH₄) makes up roughly 17% of greenhouse gases. It comes from natural sources like wetlands and human activities such as agriculture and waste management. * Nitrous Oxide (N₂O) makes up roughly

💡This explainer accompanies the Corporate Emissions Dashboard. Introduction Corporate emissions make up about 85% of Australia’s total net emissions. Here’s how they compared in the last financial year (2023-24). * Australia's corporate emissions: 368.3 Mt CO₂-e (-1.6% vs 2023) * Australia's total net emissions: 434.6 Mt CO₂-e (-1.7% vs 2023) The takeaway? Corporate emissions are effectively Australia’s emissions—just seen through the lens of corporate operations. This underscores the i

Carbon credits are a mechanism to sell and buy the 'credit' for achieving carbon emission reductions. In Australia, carbon credits are called ACCUs — Australian Carbon Credit Units. 1 x ACCU represents 1 x tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂-e) prevented from being in the atmosphere, because it is stored or avoided. The life of a carbon credit can be divided into three parts: it is created, traded, and used. Let's break it down. Creating ACCUs ACCUs are created when individuals or bus

💡This explainer accompanies the Corporate Emissions Dashboard. Scopes are categories of greenhouse gas emissions. They show how emissions link to a company—whether from its own operations, its energy use, or its supply chain. They force firms to count more than what happens on site. Emissions come from the power they buy, the goods they source, and the products they sell. There are three scopes. Here’s how they work. Summary * Scope 1: Direct emissions from owned or controlled sources.

What are Australia's emissions reduction targets? Australia has several targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The first is a single-year target. That means the goal is to release a certain amount of greenhouse gases in a given year. * The 2030 target is for national net emissions to be 43% below 2005 levels. This equals 353.3 Mt CO2-e (Million Tonnes of Carbon Dioxide Equivalent). * The 2050 target is Net Zero, which means net 0 Mt CO2-e. There is also a multi-year target, known