Greenhouse gas emissions from food systems in Australia
Australia: Greenhouse gas emissions from food systems was 195.49 million tonnes CO₂e in 2015. ▲ Rising
Greenhouse gas emissions from food systems in Australia, 1990–2015
Source: Crippa et al. (2021) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes CO₂e.
Analysis
The most recent figure for greenhouse gas emissions from food systems in Australia is 195.49 million tonnes CO₂e, measured in 2015.
That represents a change of down 3.1% on the previous year and down 29.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, greenhouse gas emissions from food systems in Australia peaked at 428.26 million tonnes CO₂e in 2006 and was at its lowest, 181.29 million tonnes CO₂e, in 1993.
Australia ranks 17th of 217 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Greenhouse gas emissions from food systems in Australia, year by year
| Year | tonnes CO₂e | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 185.58 million tonnes CO₂e | — |
| 1991 | 184.81 million tonnes CO₂e | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 182.00 million tonnes CO₂e | -1.5% |
| 1993 | 181.29 million tonnes CO₂e | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 183.78 million tonnes CO₂e | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 182.31 million tonnes CO₂e | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 187.55 million tonnes CO₂e | +2.9% |
| 1997 | 192.59 million tonnes CO₂e | +2.7% |
| 1998 | 193.69 million tonnes CO₂e | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 195.86 million tonnes CO₂e | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 196.44 million tonnes CO₂e | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 280.07 million tonnes CO₂e | +42.6% |
| 2002 | 279.83 million tonnes CO₂e | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 286.31 million tonnes CO₂e | +2.3% |
| 2004 | 274.77 million tonnes CO₂e | -4.0% |
| 2005 | 277.69 million tonnes CO₂e | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 428.26 million tonnes CO₂e | +54.2% |
| 2007 | 420.12 million tonnes CO₂e | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 413.92 million tonnes CO₂e | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 424.69 million tonnes CO₂e | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 416.79 million tonnes CO₂e | -1.9% |
| 2011 | 208.78 million tonnes CO₂e | -49.9% |
| 2012 | 201.00 million tonnes CO₂e | -3.7% |
| 2013 | 206.92 million tonnes CO₂e | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 201.65 million tonnes CO₂e | -2.5% |
| 2015 | 195.49 million tonnes CO₂e | -3.1% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 195.49 million tonnes CO₂e is above the median for high income countries, which is 13.13 million tonnes CO₂e, 14.9× the median. (77 countries reporting)
- Australia's 195.49 million tonnes CO₂e is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 5.71 million tonnes CO₂e, 34.2× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Greenhouse gas emissions from food systems in Australia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | +54.2% | 277.69 million tonnes CO₂e | 428.26 million tonnes CO₂e |
| 2011 | -49.9% | 416.79 million tonnes CO₂e | 208.78 million tonnes CO₂e |
| 2001 | +42.6% | 196.44 million tonnes CO₂e | 280.07 million tonnes CO₂e |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 186.95 million tonnes CO₂e | 181.29 million tonnes CO₂e | 195.86 million tonnes CO₂e | 10 |
| 2000s | 328.21 million tonnes CO₂e | 196.44 million tonnes CO₂e | 428.26 million tonnes CO₂e | 10 |
| 2010s | 238.44 million tonnes CO₂e | 195.49 million tonnes CO₂e | 416.79 million tonnes CO₂e | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More climate change data for Australia
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 1.30 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 118,578 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 34,162 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 84,416 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 128.91 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 3,015 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 12,473 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 10,966 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,507 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 41.38 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is greenhouse gas emissions from food systems in Australia?
- Greenhouse gas emissions from food systems in Australia was 195.49 million tonnes CO₂e in 2015, according to Crippa et al. (2021) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest greenhouse gas emissions from food systems recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 428.26 million tonnes CO₂e in 2006.
- What is the lowest greenhouse gas emissions from food systems recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 181.29 million tonnes CO₂e in 1993.
- How does Australia rank for greenhouse gas emissions from food systems?
- Australia ranks 17th out of 217 countries with data for 2015.
- Is greenhouse gas emissions from food systems rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Crippa et al. (2021) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Greenhouse gas emissions from food systems. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Emissions are measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalents.