Australia's fossil fuel exports rank second for climate impact behind Russia, new study finds

A new study commissioned by the University of New South Wales’ Australian Human Rights Institute reveals that Australia’s coal and gas exports cause more climate damage than those of any country except Russia.

The research also found that Australia was the third largest fossil fuel exporter by energy in 2021, behind Russia and the US.

The Climate Analytics report, a non-profit science and policy organization, predicts that Australia’s fossil fuel exports will stay at current levels until at least 2035, given ongoing approvals for new coal and gas projects.

Bill Hare, the organization’s chief executive, noted that this situation conflicts with various international commitments Australia has made.

These include a call for a global transition away from fossil fuels and accelerated action this decade, supported by nearly 200 countries at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai.

“Yet here we have the Australian government intent on a deliberate strategy that will see its gas exports soar, exporting billions of tonnes of emissions, inconsistent with achieving net zero, and completely inconsistent with the science of this issue,” Hare said.

Dr Gillian Moon, the lead of the Australian Human Rights Institute’s climate accountability project, noted that emissions from Australia’s fossil fuel exports have totalled about 30 billion tons of CO2 over the past 63 years.

She highlighted that this is expected to increase by 50% between now and 2035.

“We have domestic [emissions reduction] targets, but nothing on our exports. We export 91% of our coal and about three-quarters of gas, and we have no plan to get off this trade,” she said. “The Australian public deserves to know the truth about this and the consequences for us.”

The report also highlighted:

1. Australian fossil fuel exports are expected to produce 1.15 billion tonnes of CO2 in 2023, nearly three times the country's emissions from within.
2. In 2022, Australia was responsible for 52% of global metallurgical coal exports and 17% of global thermal coal exports. Metallurgical coal is used in steel-making, while thermal coal is used for electricity generation.
3. The country more than doubled its liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capacity in the five years before 2020, adding 62 million tonnes annually.
4. Only 19% of the gas extracted in Australia is used domestically; the remainder is exported or used in the export industry.
5. Despite this, Australian governments and regulators continued to approve new large-scale gas production and LNG export projects in 2021 and 2022. This approach seems inconsistent with the International Energy Agency's net-zero roadmap, which calls for global gas use to decrease by 18-22% by 2030 and by 47-53% by 2035 compared to 2022 levels.