Reducing your carbon footprint

A carbon footprint is a measure of the amount of greenhouse gas (or carbon dioxide equivalent) that is produced from our daily activities over the course of a year.

At 181 million tonnes in 2007, Queensland has the highest carbon footprint in Australia in absolute and per capita terms. Queensland creates 30 per cent of Australia's emissions despite having only 20 per cent of the national population.

The majority of our emissions are generated by land clearing, fossil fuel-generated power stations and the agriculture and transport sectors. Major reforms, such as the introduction of a price on carbon under a Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS), will reduce emissions. Other measures will complement the CPRS by reducing overall demand for emissions-intensive goods and services and by preparing industry, communities and households for the extra costs under the CPRS.

Queensland households have a big role to play in tackling climate change.

As part of its Toward Q2 plan, the government is committed to supporting Queensland households reduce their electricity and car use by one-third by 2020.

Changing our behaviour in these areas is where we can have the biggest personal impact on climate change.

For further information on how you can reduce your carbon footprint click on any of the buttons below.