Per Capita Coal Power Emissions, 2022

Yet even 2021 is an improvement. Between 2015 to 2020, the average Australian emitted 5.3 tonnes of CO2 per year solely due to the amount of coal burned to generate the country’s electricity.

In 2021, there were fewer coal emissions due to a renewables boom that saw Australia shift 9% of its electricity demand from fossil fuels to wind and solar in just two years. From 2019 to 2021, wind and solar rose from 13% to 22%, whilst the share of fossil fuels fell from 79% to 70%. However, it was still not enough to improve Australia’s global position. 

Australia remained the second-most coal-dependent country in the OECD after Poland, relying on coal for over half of its electricity in 2021 (51%). A further 18% of Australia’s electricity came from fossil gas. Unlike other countries that have lots of legacy hydro and nuclear plants, only 29% of Australia’s electricity was clean in 2021.

According to the International Energy Agency, OECD countries like Australia should end coal power by 2030 to keep global heating within safe limits and stay on course for Net Zero. However, Australia has failed to commit to a coal phase-out date, despite pledging to reach Net Zero by 2050 at the latest. Australia’s own energy market operator estimated in December last year that all brown coal generation and over two-thirds of black coal generation could retire by 2032, without significant government intervention.