Australia's Annual Greenhouse Gas Emissions Fall by 1.9 Per Cent

Canberra (ANTARA) - Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions fell by 1.9 per cent in the year to September 2025, as a result of record-high renewable energy generation, according to government data.

A quarterly report published on Wednesday (25 February) by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) showed that Australia generated 444.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions in the year to September 2025.

The figure marks a decrease of 8.5 million tonnes, or 1.9 per cent, from the 452.8 million tonnes in the previous 12 months.

The report said the decrease was mainly due to a 3.1 per cent drop in emissions in the electricity sector, thanks to increased renewable energy generation and the continued phasing out of coal-fired power plants.

The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) noted in its report that renewable energy sources supplied 42.7 per cent of electricity to the National Electricity Market in the third quarter of 2025, which was then surpassed by a record high of 51.0 per cent in the last quarter of last year.

Chris Bowen, Australia’s Minister for Climate Change and Energy, said in a statement that emissions for the year to September were 27.4 per cent lower than 2005 levels.

The federal government has committed to reducing emissions by 43 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030 and at least 62 per cent by 2035.

“We are on track to meet our climate targets if we stay on this course and continue to increase our efforts,” Bowen said.

Preliminary data for the last quarter of 2025, included in the report, estimates national emissions at 443.1 million tonnes for the calendar year, down 2.0 per cent from 2024 and 27.6 per cent from 2005.