The NSW government has launched the nation’s first dedicated regional greenhouse gas (GHG) monitoring network, which will help inform emissions reduction as Australia heads toward net zero.
The pilot network in the Upper Hunter will enable independent monitoring and assessment of GHG emissions across the region, including emissions from industry such as mines.
Accurate greenhouse gas monitoring improves strengthens reporting transparency and supports emission reduction programs that are essential to limiting the impacts of climate change and achieving net zero.
Using advanced air-monitoring equipment, scientists will analyse the ‘molecular fingerprints’ of greenhouse gases and compare the results with known emissions from industrial sources.
A network of high-precision cavity ring-down spectrometers (CRDS) is being installed at existing air quality monitoring stations across the Hunter to measure carbon dioxide, methane and water vapour.
CRDSs are highly sensitive instruments that can measure gas samples down to parts-per-billion.
The project will advance the science of greenhouse gas measurement, improve public understanding of emissions sources and help inform future regulation and mitigation.
The project is being delivered by the Science and Insights Division in the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) in partnership with the NSW EPA and is guided by an external Scientific Advisory Committee to ensure scientific rigour and independence.
Following the pilot’s completion, the network could expand across NSW.
NSW DCCEEW Science and Insights Division director Matthew Riley, said Australian scientists are leaders in emissions modelling and air quality monitoring, drawing on more than 75 years of expertise and one of Australia’s largest air-quality monitoring networks to deliver trusted, evidence-based insights.
“We’re now combining all that experience to collect brand new data by retrofitting some of our existing air monitoring stations with advanced greenhouse gas sensors,” Riley said.
NSW EPA director Climate and Environment Protection Policy, Shagofta Ali, said insights from the pilot project will ensure future regulatory decisions are based on the best available information.