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Australia's emissions are again the highest ever recorded, this time due to an increase in emissions from the electricity sector, which reached its highest level in two years, according to new figures.
Fugitive emissions from the Australian LNG industry also continue to drive up national emissions.
Ndevr Environmental, an emissions tracking agency that publishes quarterly greenhouse gas emissions data several months before the federal government, says its latest research shows that emissions for the year up to the end of the year March 2019 rose to 561 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.
This represented 554.5 million tonnes the previous year and 551.2 million tonnes in 2017.
Ndevr's figures exclude unreliable data from the land use sector, but the organization said that even when it was included, emissions had increased again for four consecutive years over the same period.
Australia's emissions: how we follow
According to Ndevr research, emissions from the electricity sector increased by 8.2% between the December and March quarters.
It follows three consecutive quarters of declining electricity emissions and represents the largest increase in emissions in this sector since March 2017.
However, the increase in emissions from electricity generation between the December and March quarters is not unusual due to increased energy use in hot weather.
Where do Australia's quarterly issues come from?
Ndevr's general manager, Matt Drum, said that renewable energy production was lower in March 2019 than in the March quarter of the previous year, as Ndevr's data showed a decline in wind and water power.
Drum said the continued increase in fugitive emissions from the Australian LNG industry showed that "there is still a lot of work to be done to offset and reduce emissions from the LNG sector."
"This offsets in particular by land use projects, but also by energy efficiency," he said. "And it will be really important to know if carbon capture and storage nuts can be cracked for this sector."
Drum rejected recent comments from Australia's Minister of Energy and Emissions Reduction, Angus Taylor, that LNG exports were helping to reduce emissions abroad.
"I do not think you can continue this argument if you do not also consider our coal exports, which have an effect against," said Drum.
There is no evidence to support Taylor's contention and the largest Australian LNG consumer – Japan – uses it instead of non-emitting nuclear power.
"There is still work to be done on policy. I sound like a broken record, "said Drum. "At the end of the day, participation in the emissions reduction fund goes down. Fewer projects, fewer contracts, less reduction.
"Unless something important happens, the current government will only be chairing each quarter, year after year, in rising emissions. It's as simple as that. "
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