Almost all electricity generation in Tasmania is from hydro, wind and solar. But a lot of energy used in Tasmania does not come from the grid – such as the petrol, diesel, oil and gas used in transport, industrial processes and agriculture. It can be difficult to get an idea of the scale of emissions generated.
In Tasmania, the emissions produced from agriculture, waste, transport, direct combustion, industrial processes and energy generation surprisingly add up to the equivalent of almost one and a quarter coal fired power stations the size of Mt Piper in NSW.
In the coming years, households will make a big difference in reducing emissions as technology such as electric vehicles becomes more affordable and easier to use. Last year, emissions from petrol cars in Tasmania produced the equivalent of over 10% the annual emissions from a coal-fired power station! Each car produces around 1.7 tonnes per year – so using a rule of thumb of 6 trees per tonne of CO2 offset, it takes 10 trees to offset the emissions from every car in Tasmania.
Tasmania is proposing to strengthen its emissions reduction target by legislating a target of net zero emissions for Tasmania from 2030. You can find out more, and make a submission on the proposed amendments to the Climate Change (State Action) Act by the 14th of November here
Image: Australian Electric Vehicle Tasmania Branch
