Energy is a vital input to all sectors of the economy. As well as supplying the power on which industry and households depend, the production and supply of energy provides employment, investment and export opportunities, all of which contribute substantially to the welfare and standard of living of Australians.
Australia has an abundance of fossil fuel and mineral energy resources, and the trends of energy production reflect this abundance. In addition to being one of the world's largest exporters of coal and uranium, Australia's per capita energy consumption is one of the highest in the world, with a heavy reliance on fossil fuels. This reliance is also a major source of greenhouse gases.
The supply and use of energy in Australia is summarised in the following section. Subsequent sections describe Australia's energy resources, the production of these resources, and Australia's trade in energy products. Then follows an analysis of Australian energy consumption, together with a section comparing various aspects of Australia's consumption with that in a number of other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries. The section, Energy and the environment, examines in relationship between energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, focussing on how household consumption indirectly affects the amounts of greenhouse gases emitted.
Energy concludes with an article How much energy is used ito make a plastic bag?
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