Emission factor library

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 1 minute to read

    • An emission factor library consists of emission factors, emission activities and emission activity sources. It is crucial to set up your emission factor library to calculate your emissions accurately.

    The following sections explain the differences between emission factors, emission activities, and emission activity sources.

    Emission factor

    An emission factor is a coefficient that quantifies the emissions released per unit of activity or output. It is used extensively in environmental science, engineering, and regulatory contexts to estimate the amount of pollutants or greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere from various sources.

    An example of an emission factor is Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from the combustion of diesel fuel. Its value, for example, is 2.68 kilograms of CO₂ per liter of diesel fuel burned. If an organization consumes 10,000 liters of diesel fuel in a year, the total CO₂ emissions can be estimated as: Total CO₂ Emissions=Diesel Fuel Consumed×Emission Factor. Total CO₂ Emissions=10,000 liters×2.68 kg CO₂/liter. Total CO₂ Emissions=26,800 kg CO₂. So, the organization would emit approximately 26,800 kilograms (or 26.8 metric tons) of CO₂ annually from diesel fuel combustion.

    Following are some uses of emission factors.
    • Estimation of emissions
    • Environmental reporting and disclosures
    • Life cycle assessment
    Audit tracking is enabled by default on Emission Factor tables, ensuring that all modifications are systematically recorded in a audit log. Access to this log is restricted to authorised users, who can review detailed entries for compliance and traceability. The audit log captures:
    • User details initiating the change
    • Timestamp of the modification
    • Type of change performed
    • Modified data entries

    Emission activity

    An emission activity refers to any process or action that produces pollutants or greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. These activities can occur in various sectors such as industry, transportation, agriculture, and residential areas. Some examples of emission activities are:
    • Burning coal in a power plant to generate electricity.
    • Cement production.
    • Activities such as livestock farming.

    Emission activity sources

    Emission activity sources provide data and methodologies to estimate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from various activities. These sources can be categorized based on the type of activity and the pollutants they emit. Some examples of emission activity sources are:
    • Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission sources
    • Department for environment, food and rural affairs (DEFRA )
    • Environmentally extended input-output models (EEIO)
    • Emissions and generation resource integrated database (eGRID)