Dennis Gilfillan and Gregg Marland, researchers within the Research Institute for Environment, Energy, and Economics, have recently revitalized the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC) annual time series of CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion and cement manufacture. This important data set is compiled using UN energy statistics and USGS cement production data, and is the most consistent global carbon emissions inventory in the world, with historic data going back to 1751. The most recent inventory year, 2016, was released this year, with an estimated 9.8 gigatonnes of carbon being emitted to the atmosphere globally. Top emitting countries include China (~29% of global emissions) United States (15%), India (7%), Russia (5%), and Japan (3%). Using BP energy statistics to project our data further, we estimate that emissions exceeded 10 gigatonnes of carbon for the first time in 2018. Project staff contributed this data to the Global Carbon Budget 2019 manuscript, which was published on December 4th, 2019. Future projects include developing spatially explicit global emissions estimates and updating our estimates of cement production to be more in line with modern cement manufacturing processes.
VIEW the 2016 data set here
Click the image below to view the Global Carbon Budget 2019 manuscript.
