Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions are on the rise: Hugh explains why

Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions are on the rise. Electricity emissions, which make up about a third of the total, rose 2.7% in the year to March 2016.

Australia’s emissions reached their peak in 2008-2009. Since then total emissions have barely changed, but the proportion of emissions from electricity fell, largely due to falling demand and less electricity produced by coal. But over the last year demand grew by 2.5%, nearly all of this supplied by coal.

In 2015 I wrote about concerns that Australia’s electricity demand and emissions would start increasing again. This has now come true. So what’s driving the trend?

Read what the Honorary Associate Professor from the Centre for Climate Economics and Policy at the Australian National University, Hugh Saddler, had to say on The Conversation - “Australia’s carbon emissions and electricity demand are growing: here’s why.”