There is growing consensus that climate change, also known as global warming, is becoming the greatest threat to our environment. It is caused by increasing levels of greenhouse gases which trap the Sun's energy within the atmosphere.
Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide which is produced every time we use energy from fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas. The dominant contribution to Australia's greenhouse emissions comes from energy use. Of this, emissions from stationary energy including electricity and gas are the biggest contributor, followed by transport.
As the debate about climate change moves to focus on action to reduce greenhouse emissions from human activity, reducing emissions from stationary energy becomes very important. Since fossil fuels are the source for the majority of Australia's electricity supplies, actions that reduce consumption of energy will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This, along with reduced pollution from fossil fuel combustion, are key environmental benefits of energy efficiency.