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Ecologically Sustainable Development
Environment Australia, 2002
ISBN 0 642 54771 8
Rationale for inclusion of issue
Atmosphere is an essential component of all ecological systems on Earth, and climate change is a potential threat to biodiversity and to all ecosystems, economies and societies. It is therefore a crucial element in safeguarding the welfare of future generations (Core Objective 1), providing for inter-generational equity (Core Objective 2) and protecting biological diversity, ecological processes and life support systems (Core objective 3).
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Total net greenhouse gas emissions at 1999 |
458.2 Mt |
Source: National Greenhouse Gas Inventory
Rationale for selection of indicator
This indicator will provide an indication of trends in greenhouse pressure from Australian emissions. Net rather than gross emissions are used to take account of the effect of carbon sinks. While Australian emissions are only a small contributor to the global emissions which collectively threaten the Earth's life support systems, they are the only contribution over which Australians have any real control.
Explanatory and elaborative information
Australia's CO2-e (Carbon dioxide equivalent) emissions for 1999, not including emissions from land clearing, increased by 1.1% since 1998 and by 17.4% between 1990 and 1999. Incorporating the current best estimate of land clearing emissions would bring Australia's total emissions to 529.9 Mt CO2-e in 1999 and 493.8 Mt CO2-e in 1990. However the assessment of trends in land clearing since 1990 is highly uncertain and likely to change significantly in the future, and is therefore excluded from the figures given in this Report.
Net Carbon Dixoide equivalents emissions: Time series data
| 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | |
| Net emissions (Mt CO2-e ) | 389.9 | 392.1 | 393.2 | 396.0 | 398.7 | 412.4 | 423.7 | 433.2 | 455.9 | 458.2 |
Source: National Greenhouse Gas Inventory.
Net Carbon Dioxide equivalents emissions (Mt CO2-e) by year
