Rising coal emissions offset Australia's petrol cuts

Australia’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from petroleum use were almost completely offset last year by rising emissions from coal-fired electricity plants, according to a new report from The Climate Group.

Across Australia’s eastern states, greenhouse gas emissions last summer dropped by 60,000 tonnes — less than one percent — from 2007 summer levels, down to 68.7 million tonnes. However, emissions from coal-fired power plants increased during that same period, rising by 1.9 percent to 770,000 tonnes.

“This report shows that the good news of decreasing emissions from petroleum products has been entirely undone by another big increase in emissions from coal-fired power stations, particularly those burning the most greenhouse-intensive brown coal,” said Rupert Posner, Australia Director of The Climate Group. “These increases in coal emissions come at a time when we need the exact opposite to be happening.”

Demand for electricity in Australia’s eastern states rose by 1.7 percent last summer over the previous summer, reaching a total of 47 million megawatt hours.