Indicator: A-46 Greenhouse - carbon dioxide equivalent emissions from land use, land use change and forestry
Data
Land use change emissions from 1990 to 2003
Source: Department of the Environment and Heritage and Australian Greenhouse Office 2005, National Greenhouse Gas Inventory, Analysis of Recent Trends and Greenhouse Indicators 1990-2003, DEH and AGO, Canberra, table A5.1 sheet 6
What the data mean
Changes in the amount of carbon biomass in vegetation and soil as a result of human use of the land are accounted for in this indicator. This includes:
- afforestation and reforestation
- the deliberate, human induced removal of forest cover and replacement with pasture, crops, urban development
- emissions arising from the burning and decay of aboveground biomass
- changes in solid carbon from current and past events
- regrowth on cleared lands providing a carbon sink.
Emissions from land use, land use change and forestry account for 5.4% of net emissions. This sector was previously a larger contributor to net emissions, accounting for 22 percent of net emissions in 1990.
The data shows a significant decrease in net emissions from land use, land use change and forestry. In 1990, around 126 megatonnes of carbon equivalent emissions came from this sector. In 2003 this has decreased to around 35 megatonnes.
Data Limitations
Nil known
Issues for which this is an indicator and why
Atmosphere — Climate variability and change - Greenhouse
Carbon dioxide equivalent emissions from different land uses is a direct indicator for this issue.
Other indicators for this issue:
- A-07 Greenhouse - carbon dioxide concentrations and growth rates
- A-08 Greenhouse - change in total carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by gas
- A-38 Greenhouse - methane concentrations and growth rates
- A-39 Greenhouse - nitrous oxide concentrations and growth rates
- A-40 Greenhouse - change in total carbon dioxide equivalent emissions per capita and gross domestic product
- A-41 Greenhouse - climate change projections
- A-42 Greenhouse - carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by sector
- A-43 Greenhouse - carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by primary fuel type
- A-44 Greenhouse - carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by mode of travel and road transport emissions by vehicle type
- A-45 Greenhouse - agricultural sector carbon dioxide equivalent emissions
- Greenhouse - climate change projections
- LD-05 Terrestrial carbon loss rate and rate of land carbon sequestration
- LD-39 Change in biomass stock
- CO-03 Sea level
- CO-04 Sea surface temperature variability
- CO-44 Marine chlorophyll concentration
- CO-60 Sea salinity
- AAT-12 Changes in colonies of plants on Heard Island
- AAT-14 Ice sheet mass balance and sea ice extent
- AAT-15 Glacier movement
Further Information
Key
Links to another web site
Links to data in the DRS
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