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Summary
- Australia ranks second for climate footprint globally due to its fossil fuel exports, contributing about 4.5% of global fossil carbon dioxide emissions, primarily from coal and gas exports.
- The country’s per-capita emissions are double that of China and nine times larger than India, with coal being a major contributor to carbon emissions and air pollution.
- Australia’s fossil fuel exports are projected to add 15 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions by 2035, consuming around 7.5% of the remaining carbon budget for a 1.5C temperature rise.
While Australia releases about only 1% of global emissions at home, it was linked to about 4.5% once its fossil fuel exports were counted.
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Australia’s fossil fuel exports contribute to global emissions more than any other country aside from Russia, owing particularly to the footprint of coal exports, according to a new report that suggests emissions will rise by 50% over the next decade.
The country’s climate footprint – roughly 4.5% of global fossil carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, with 80% coming from coal and gas exports – “far exceeds” its economic size and population, the report says. Without fossil fuel exports, the country’s contribution to global emissions would be around 1%. Australia also remains the country with one of the highest per-capita emissions for all greenhouse gases, double that of China and nine times larger than India, the world’s first and third largest emitters, respectively.
The country ranked third in the world for fossil exports in 2021, behind only Russia and the US. In 2022, it accounted for 52% of global metallurgical coal exports and 17% of global thermal coal exports.
Coal, the cheapest and dirtiest fossil fuel, is the single-largest source of carbon emissions, responsible for over 0.3C of the 1.2C increase in global average temperatures since the Industrial Revolution. It is also a major contributor to air pollution.
