The CSIRO Outline of Climate Change in Australia is the most comprehensive overview of predicted future climate change effects in Australia.
The following is an overview of historical performance from ABS Statistics:
In 2004, Australia's total net GHG emissions, using KYOTO PROTOCOL accounting provisions, were 564.7 mill. tonnes of CO2-e (equivalent carbon emissions, incorporating other greenhouse gases such as methane, nitrous oxide etc)
CO2
accounted for 415.0 mill. tonnes of CO2-e,
or 73.5% of Australia's total net emissions, methane for 119.7 mill.
tonnes of CO2-e
(21.2%), nitrous oxide for 24.8 mill. tonnes of CO2-e
(4.3%) and the other gases made up 5.2 mill. tonnes of CO2-e
(1.0%) of total emissions.
This is relatively small on a global scale, but on a per capita basis, Australia is among the 3 highest greenhouse polluters in the world.

The contribution to total net GHG emissions by sector
gives an indication of the areas responsible for this level of
greenhouse contribution. The major source of emissions was the energy sector (including
stationary energy (specifically, coal powered energy plants), transport and fugitive emissions from fuels) which
accounted for 387.2 mill. tonnes of CO2-e
(68.6%) of total national emissions in 2004. The agriculture sector
contributed a further 93.1 mill. tonnes of CO2-e
(16.5%), land use, land use change and forestry 35.5 mill. tonnes of CO2-e
(6.3%), industrial processes 29.8 mill. tonnes of CO2-e
(5.3%) and waste 19.1 mill. tonnes of CO2-e
or 3.3% of total national emissions.
| 1990 | 2004 | Change from 1990 to 2004 | |||||
| Sector | Amount mill. t | Contribution to national emissions (%) | Amount mill. t | Contribution to national emissions (%) | Amount mill. t | mill. t | % |
| Energy | 287.5 | 52.1 | 387.2 | 68.6 | 99.7 | 34.7 | |
Fuel combustion (sector approach) |
|||||||
Energy industries |
143.1 | 25.9 | 216.7 | 38.4 | 73.6 | 51.4 | |
Manufacturing industries and construction |
37.0 | 6.7 | 42.5 | 7.5 | 5.5 | 14.9 | |
Transport |
61.7 | 11.2 | 76.2 | 13.5 | 14.5 | 23.5 | |
Other sectors |
15.7 | 2.9 | 20.8 | 3.7 | 5.1 | 32.5 | |
Fugitive emissions from fuels |
|||||||
Solid fuel |
17.1 | 3.1 | 21.3 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 24.6 | |
Oil and natural gas |
13.0 | 2.3 | 9.8 | 1.7 | -3.2 | -24.0 | |
| Industrial processes | 25.3 | 4.6 | 29.8 | 5.3 | 4.5 | 17.8 | |
Mineral products |
5.0 | 0.9 | 5.5 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 10.0 | |
Metal production |
16.2 | 2.9 | 14.7 | 2.6 | -1.5 | -9.3 | |
Other |
4.1 | 0.8 | 9.6 | 1.7 | 5.5 | 134.2 | |
| Agriculture | 91.1 | 16.5 | 93.1 | 16.5 | 2.0 | 2.2 | |
| Land-use change and forestry | 128.9 | 23.4 | 35.5 | 6.3 | -93.4 | -72.5 | |
| Waste | 19.2 | 3.4 | 19.1 | 3.3 | 0.0 | -0.7 | |
| Total emissions/removals | 551.9 | 100.0 | 564.7 | 100.0 | 12.8 | 2.3 | |