3 June 2009:
National Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory

If recent reduced economic growth rates are reflected in reduced energy use and emission levels, as would be expected, Australia should be able to comfortably meet its Kyoto emission target and perhaps have a surplus to bank or sell. This is the implication from the latest National Greenhouse Accounts for Australia which have just been released providing emission data on a national, state and industry basis.

The Accounts include an estimate of emissions for the four quarters through to the December quarter of 2008, an assessment of Australia’s progress against the Kyoto Target and an analysis of emissions trends for the period 1990 to 2007.

Under the Kyoto Protocol, the national inventory comprises four sources of emissions – the IPPC classifications Energy, Industrial Processes, Agriculture and Waste (Annex A sectors). Within the Energy sector, there are Fuel Combustion and Fugitive emissions (mainly from the extraction fuels) sources. In addition, countries must account for Article 3.3 Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry activities – these are deforestation, afforestation and reforestation.

Over the four quarters through to the December quarter of 2008, Australia’s national inventory was an estimated 553 Mt CO2-e (million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent). This is an increase of 1.1 per cent compared with the corresponding period for the previous year.

Progress against Australia’s Kyoto Target may be monitored by comparing the national inventory with projections of the amount of Australia’s Kyoto Protocol units available for the first year of the first commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol.

After taking account of Article 3.3 Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry activities which include a significant emission reduction due to reduced land clearing, Australia had an estimated net surplus in 2008 of 8 Mt of Kyoto Protocol units – or around 1 per cent of the Kyoto Target. This means that Australia’s emissions, including from Article 3.3 Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry activities, were 107 per cent of the 1990 base period compared with our Kyoto target of 108 per cent.