Tasmania's Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere and make the Earth warmer. Those with the most significant impact on global warming are water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. Other common greenhouse gases include ozone and chlorofluorocarbons.

Each greenhouse gas varies in terms of its contribution to climate change. Global warming potentials are used as a relative measure of how much heat a greenhouse gas traps in the atmosphere. They compare the amount of heat trapped by a certain mass of each gas to the amount of heat trapped by a similar mass of carbon dioxide.

Using this method, greenhouse gases are combined into a single, consistent value of carbon dioxide equivalent or CO₂-e.

A carbon, or emissions, sink removes more carbon than it emits. The removed carbon is stored, often in the form of growing vegetation.

Tasmania's emissions are reported as part of the Australian National Greenhouse Accounts, in accordance with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reporting framework for national greenhouse gas inventories, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) reporting guidelines for annual inventories.

The Tasmanian Government releases a report each year on Tasmania’s latest greenhouse gas emissions figures, which shows the state’s progress towards its emissions reduction target and monitors emissions by sector.

The Tasmanian Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report 2024 will be published in mid-2024. The 2023 Report is available here:

• Download the Tasmanian Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report 2023 (PDF)
• Read Tasmania's Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report 2023 (webpages)

The Climate Change (Greenhouse Gas Emissions) Regulations 2022 set out how we measure and publish our greenhouse gas figures.

Energy

Emissions from Tasmania’s energy sector account for approximately 43 per cent of the state’s emissions (excluding LULUCF).

Emissions from electricity generation and the direct combustion of fossil fuels for stationary energy purposes in Tasmania’s energy sector account for approximately 21 per cent of Tasmania’s emissions (excluding LULUCF).

Energy: Electricity generation

Emissions from electricity generation in Tasmania are predominantly from the operation of the Tamar Valley Power Station, with a smaller contribution from diesel use on the Bass Strait islands. Electricity generation accounts for less than 2 per cent of Tasmania’s emissions (excluding LULUCF).

Tasmania is 100 per cent self-sufficient in renewable energy and has made a commitment to generate 200 per cent of our energy needs from renewable energy by 2040, which means Tasmania will double its renewable energy production. The Tasmanian Government is also fast-tracking a renewable hydrogen industry in Tasmania, with the goal of using locally-produced renewable hydrogen by 2024, and commercially exporting clean hydrogen by 2027.

Energy: Direct combustion

Direct combustion of fossil fuels for stationary energy and fugitive emissions accounts for approximately 21 per cent of Tasmania’s emissions. Direct combustion includes emissions from: burning coal, gas, agricultural waste or forestry residues to generate heat, steam or pressure for manufacturing industries and construction; agriculture, forestry and fishing operations; commercial operations; and burning wood or gas for household heating and cooking.

Energy: Transport

Transport accounts for around 21 per cent of Tasmania’s emissions (excluding LULUCF). The majority (95 per cent) of transport emissions come from road transportation (made up of cars: 46 per cent, heavy duty trucks and buses: 31 per cent, and light commercial vehicles: 23 per cent).

Agriculture

Agriculture is a key growth sector in Tasmania’s economy. Currently, the sector accounts for 33 per cent of Tasmania’s emissions (excluding LULUCF). The majority (75 per cent) of these emissions comes from enteric fermentation (digestive processes that result in methane production), mainly from cattle and sheep.

Forestry and land use

Forestry is a well-established industry in Tasmania. Tasmania’s forests and plantations act as a carbon sink which offset all of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. Projected climate changes mean it will be important to sustainably manage our current forests and plantations to continue to offset atmospheric greenhouse gases.

Industrial processes and product use

Emissions from the IPPU sector account for approximately 19 per cent of Tasmania’s emissions (excluding LULUCF).

IPPU includes emissions from: the calcination of carbonate compounds (cement, lime or glass production); carbon when used as a chemical reductant (aluminium, ferromanganese and zinc production); and the production and use of synthetic gases such as hydrofluorocarbons (refrigeration and air conditioning systems and solvents).

Emissions are produced by the decomposition of organic waste in landfills, and from the release of greenhouse gases during the treatment of wastewater. Emissions from waste account for around 5 per cent of Tasmania’s emissions, excluding LULUCF.

The report on Tasmania's greenhouse gas emissions is compiled using disaggregated state and territory data from the Australian Government's National Inventory Report. The Australian Government submits the Inventories to meet Australia's annual reporting commitment under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement.

Under the UNFCCC, the National Inventory Report must report net emissions from the following sectors:

• energy
• industrial processes and product use
• agriculture
• land use, land use change and forestry
• waste.

The National Inventory Report runs two years behind the current date, and represents the most recent official data in Australia on annual emissions. The current National Inventory Report details estimates of Australia’s emissions for the period 1990 to 2022. The year 2022 refers to the Australian financial year 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022.

Each year, the Australian Government updates how it calculates the national emissions figures, updating all the figures from 1990 to the previous reporting year. The figures are recalculated to ensure that they are accurate, complete, and can be compared with reports from other countries. This means the latest accounts cannot be compared with those released in previous years.

More information is available from the Australian Government's website