Explore - Climate TRACE
Explore sectors
Faster, more-effective decarbonization starts with detailed knowledge of emissions sources.
Sectors
Greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation. All emissions are displayed as total carbon dioxide equivalents using 100-year equivalencies.
21 months ago
emissions
contributor
74.15billion tonnes
24.39%of total global emissions
subsector
Electricity generation
definition
Emissions from thermal power plants from all major fuel sources including coal, natural gas, fuel oil, diesel, biomass and incinerated waste.
source
methodology
Power sector emissions are estimated by first assembling a global geolocated inventory of power plants, generation, and metered emissions data. Machine learning models then predict plant generation from satellite images. These predictions are aggregated and combined with available generation data and carbon intensity factors to derive emissions estimates.
Full Methodology
data frequency
Updated every
Year
8.05billion tonnes
2.65%of total global emissions
subsector
Other energy use
definition
Combustion emissions arising from energy-producing industries’ energy use not included in the other energy subsectors.
source
methodology
Data from EDGAR calculated after subtracting energy industry subsectors directly measured by Climate TRACE. As Climate TRACE capabilities expand, this “other” category will shrink. Estimates available from 2015 to 2018. 2018 values have been forward-filled for the remaining years.
data frequency
Updated every
year, delayed
Greenhouse gas emissions from forest clearing and fires in forests, shrublands, and savannas. Emissions are gross estimates and do not include carbon sinks. Fires subsector emissions include estimates of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide gases. All emissions are displayed as total carbon dioxide equivalents using 100-year equivalencies.
21 months ago
emissions
contributor
22.63billion tonnes
7.44%of total global emissions
subsector
Forest clearing
definition
Forest carbon removed from forest stocks through stand-replacing forest disturbance excluding fire. Emissions are gross (not net) and do not include the carbon sink associated with forest growth.
source
methodology
Forest clearing emissions are calculated by combining satellite-derived estimates of aboveground biomass from forested areas in the year 2000 and tree cover loss by year. These estimates are interpreted as “committed emissions,” meaning that the mechanism and timing of atmospheric carbon emissions are unknown. Our methods are based on work by Zarin et al (2016) and the Global Forest Watch project. For more information and documentation, visit https://github.com/carbonplan/trace.
Full Methodology
data frequency
Updated every
year
35.14billion tonnes
11.56%of total global emissions
subsector
Forest fires
definition
Carbon dioxide emissions from fires in open and closed canopy forests. Includes temperate, boreal, and tropical forests.
source
methodology
Forest-fire emissions are estimated with an empirical relationship using inputs from satellite-derived datasets and vegetation-specific combustion and emissions factors. Forest-fires are identified within a country, emissions estimated, and aggregated to the country-level for total GHG emissions.
Full Methodology
data frequency
Updated every
year
0.00billion tonnes
0.00%of total global emissions
subsector
Forest sink
3.99billion tonnes
1.31%of total global emissions
subsector
Savannas fires
definition
Carbon dioxide emissions from fires in savannas.
source
methodology
Savanna-fire emissions are estimated with an empirical relationship using inputs from satellite-derived datasets and vegetation-specific combustion and emissions factors. Savanna-fires are identified within a country, emissions estimated, and aggregated to the country-level for total GHG emissions.
Full Methodology
data frequency
Updated every
year
3.77billion tonnes
1.24%of total global emissions
subsector
Shrubland fires
definition
Carbon dioxide emissions from fires in shrublands.
source
methodology
Shrubland-fire emissions are estimated with an empirical relationship using inputs from satellite-derived datasets and vegetation-specific combustion and emissions factors. Shrubland-fires are identified within a country, emissions estimated, and aggregated to the country-level for total GHG emissions.
Full Methodology
data frequency
Updated every
year
Greenhouse gas emissions from cement, aluminum, steel, and other manufacturing processes. All emissions are displayed as total carbon dioxide equivalents using 100-year equivalencies.
21 months ago
emissions
contributor
1.88billion tonnes
0.62%of total global emissions
subsector
Aluminum
definition
Direct greenhouse gas emissions released from alumina refining and aluminum smelting processes.
source
methodology
Aluminum emissions are estimated with a disaggregation method to determine a plant’s share of national capacity. Relevant emissions factors for the plant are applied to derive emissions for a given year.
Full Methodology
data frequency
Updated every
year
8.65billion tonnes
2.84%of total global emissions
subsector
Cement production
definition
Greenhouse gas emissions released during the manufacture of cement, including both the emissions released during the chemical reaction to create the main component of cement (clinker), as well as the emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels.
source
methodology
Cement emissions are estimated with a combination of modeling with satellite imagery and plant-level capacity to generate asset-level cement production. The asset-level cement production is calibrated against country-level production. Finally, plant-level emission factors are applied to derive total emissions.
Full Methodology
data frequency
Updated every
year
29.08billion tonnes
9.57%of total global emissions
subsector
Other manufacturing
definition
Emissions from combustion of fuels as well as by-product or fugitive emissions from industrial processes for all other manufacturing subsectors.
source
methodology
Data from EDGAR derived after subtracting manufacturing subsectors directly measured covered by Climate TRACE. As Climate TRACE capabilities expand, this “other” category will shrink. Estimates available from 2015 to 2018. 2018 values have been forward-filled for the remaining years.
data frequency
Updated every
year, delayed
3.22billion tonnes
1.06%of total global emissions
subsector
Petrochemicals
definition
Direct greenhouse gas emissions from the manufacture of ammonia, methanol and soda ash.
source
methodology
Ammonia emissions are estimated with a disaggregation method to determine a plant’s share of national capacity. Relevant emissions factors for the plant are applied to derive the emissions for a given year.
Soda ash manufacturing emissions are derived from utilisation rates obtained from country level data, split by natural and synthetic soda ash producing countries, and projected to plant level to proxy for plant level production.
Methanol manufacturing emissions are derived from average utilisation rates by country projected to the plant level. Where data were unavailable, a relationship between country-level installed capacity and utilisation rates was used to fill in gaps.
Full Methodology
data frequency
Updated every
year
1.10billion tonnes
0.36%of total global emissions
subsector
Pulp paper
definition
Direct greenhouse gas emissions from the manufacture of pulp and paper products.
source
methodology
Pulp manufacturing emissions are estimated with a disaggregation method to determine a plant’s share of national capacity. Relevant emissions factors for the plant are applied to derive the emissions for a given year.
For paper manufacturing emissions, utilisation rates obtained from country level data are split by paper type and projected to plant level to proxy for plant level production.
Full Methodology
data frequency
Updated every
year
13.12billion tonnes
4.32%of total global emissions
subsector
Steel
definition
Greenhouse gas emissions released during the manufacturing of crude steel.
source
methodology
Steel emission estimates use two subgroups. 1) (BF), basic oxygenation furnace (BOF) and open hearth furnace (OHF) plants are modeled with satellite imagery and plant-level capacity to generate asset-level production calibrated against country-level production. 2) electric furnace (EAF) plants use a disaggregation model to compute its national capacity share.
Full Methodology
data frequency
Updated every
year
Greenhouse gas emissions from on-road vehicles, aviation, railways and other modes of transportation. All emissions are displayed as total carbon dioxide equivalents using 100-year equivalencies.
21 months ago
emissions
contributor
5.50billion tonnes
1.81%of total global emissions
subsector
Aviation
definition
Exhaust emissions from the combustion of fuels in international and domestic commercial, cargo, private flights, and general aviation.
source
methodology
Historical flight status data for all passenger and freight flights is combined with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)’s methodology to estimate aviation emissions globally. Estimates available from 2018 to 2020. 2018 values have been back-filled for the remaining years.
Full Methodology
data frequency
Updated every
year
0.98billion tonnes
0.32%of total global emissions
subsector
Other transportation
definition
Combustion emissions from all remaining transport activities.
source
methodology
Data from EDGAR. Estimates available from 2015 to 2018. 2018 values have been forward-filled for the remaining years.
data frequency
Updated every
year, delayed
0.54billion tonnes
0.18%of total global emissions
subsector
Railways
definition
Emissions from the combustion of fuels in both freight and passenger trains.
source
methodology
Data from EDGAR. Estimates available from 2015 to 2018. 2018 values have been forward-filled for the remaining years.
data frequency
Updated every
year, delayed
36.06billion tonnes
11.86%of total global emissions
subsector
Roads
definition
Exhaust emissions from the combustion of fuels in all road vehicles.
source
methodology
Road transportation emissions estimates for 20 countries are generated by running machine learning models on satellite imagery and road and building masks, and population data. These models are trained on annual bottom-up conterminous U.S. CO2 inventories. Estimates available from 2017-2019 and back/forward-filled for the remaining years for consistency.
EDGAR data compiled for all remaining countries. Estimates available from 2015 to 2018. 2018 values have been forward-filled for the remaining years.
Full Methodology
data frequency
Updated every
year
Greenhouse gas emissions from the growing of crops and livestock for food and raw materials for non-food consumption. All emissions are displayed as total carbon dioxide equivalents using 100-year equivalencies.
21 months ago
emissions
contributor
1.49billion tonnes
0.49%of total global emissions
subsector
Cropland fires
definition
Carbon dioxide emissions from the combustion of agriculture residues burned on site. Emissions are gross (not net) as they do not include the carbon sink associated with vegetation regrowth.
source
methodology
Estimation of crop fire emissions uses an empirical relationship with inputs from satellite-derived datasets and vegetation-specific combustion and emissions factors. Crop residue fires are identified within a country, emissions estimated, and aggregated to the country-level for total GHG emissions.
Full Methodology
data frequency
Updated every
year
16.73billion tonnes
5.50%of total global emissions
subsector
Enteric fermentation
definition
Methane emissions from digestive systems of cattle and other livestock.
source
methodology
Data compiled from FAOSTAT under the source category “Enteric fermentation”. Estimates are available from 2015 to 2019. 2019 values have been forward-filled for 2020.
data frequency
Updated every
year, delayed
13.11billion tonnes
4.31%of total global emissions
subsector
Managed soils
definition
Direct and indirect nitrous oxide emissions from soil management practices including synthetic fertilizers, crop residue, manure applied to soils and left on pastures, and drained organic soils.
source
methodology
Synthetic fertilizer N2O emissions for 16 countries estimated with a semi-empirical model that uses country-level crop production and yields; FAOSTAT data compiled for all remaining countries. Estimates available from 2015 to 2019. 2019 values have been forward-filled for 2020.
Full Methodology
data frequency
Updated every
year
2.36billion tonnes
0.78%of total global emissions
subsector
Manure Management
definition
Methane and nitrous oxide emissions from livestock manure decomposition.
source
methodology
Data compiled from FAOSTAT from the source category “Manure Management”. Estimates are available from 2015 to 2019. 2019 values have been forward-filled for 2020.
data frequency
Updated every
year, delayed
4.58billion tonnes
1.51%of total global emissions
subsector
Rice Cultivation
definition
Methane emissions from the anaerobic decomposition of organic matter in paddy fields.
source
methodology
Methane emissions for the year 2020 for 23 countries estimated by identifying rice growing areas using satellite-based mapping. For prior years and all other countries, FAOSTAT data has been used. Data back or forward-filled to ensure consistency.
Full Methodology
data frequency
Updated every
year
Greenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas production, refining, and solid-fuels. All emissions are displayed as total carbon dioxide equivalents using 100-year equivalencies.
21 months ago
emissions
contributor
15.67billion tonnes
5.16%of total global emissions
subsector
oil and gas production
definition
Fugitive and exhaust emissions from flaring, venting combustion, and non-combustion related processes during oil and gas exploration, production, processing, and transport of crude oil, gas, and liquefied natural gas.
source
methodology
Oil and gas field- and basin-level carbon dioxide and methane emissions are estimated with the Oil Production Greenhouse Gas Emissions Estimator (OPGEE) Model. Inputs include a number of oil and gas field characteristics, including satellite-derived flaring volumes. Field-level estimates are summed and scaled to country-level on an annual basis.
Full Methodology
data frequency
Updated every
year
7.86billion tonnes
2.59%of total global emissions
subsector
Oil refining
definition
Fugitive and exhaust emissions from combustion-related processes of crude oil refining.
source
methodology
Oil refining emissions are estimated with the Petroleum Refinery Life-Cycle Inventory Model (PRELIM). PRELIM estimates energy use and GHG emissions associated with processing various crude oil types for different refinery configurations. Inputs include refinery locations, configurations, and crude refining throughputs to generate GHG intensities and absolute emissions by country.
Full Methodology
data frequency
Updated every
year
9.73billion tonnes
3.20%of total global emissions
subsector
Solid fuel transformation
definition
Fugitive methane emissions and combustion emissions from fuel use during coal mining and the manufacture of secondary and tertiary products from solid fuels.
source
methodology
Data from EDGAR. Estimates available from 2015 to 2018. 2018 values have been forward-filled for the remaining years.
data frequency
Updated every
year, delayed
Greenhouse gas emissions from onsite fuel combustion in residential, commercial and institutional buildings. All emissions are displayed as total carbon dioxide equivalents using 100-year equivalencies.
21 months ago
emissions
contributor
1.23billion tonnes
0.41%of total global emissions
subsector
Cooking
definition
Data included in the ‘Residential and commercial onsite heating’ category.
methodology
Data not yet available.
2.24billion tonnes
0.74%of total global emissions
subsector
Refrigeration air conditioning
definition
Emissions from the use of fluorinated greenhouse gases in mobile and stationary air conditioning systems.
source
methodology
Data available for Annex 1 countries from UN Data.
data frequency
Updated every
year, delayed
21.41billion tonnes
7.04%of total global emissions
subsector
Residential commercial onsite heating
definition
Greenhouse gas emissions from fuel combustion in residential, commercial and institutional buildings. Indirect emissions from buildings (i.e., electricity) are not included.
source
methodology
Data from EDGAR. Estimates available from 2015 to 2018. 2018 values have been forward-filled for the remaining years.
data frequency
Updated every
year
Greenhouse gas emissions from solid waste disposal on land, wastewater, waste incineration and any other waste management activity. All emissions are displayed as total carbon dioxide equivalents using 100-year equivalencies.
21 months ago
emissions
contributor
0.05billion tonnes
0.01%of total global emissions
subsector
Biological Treatment of Solid Waste & Biogenic
definition
Emissions from composting and anaerobic digestion of organic waste, such as food waste, garden (yard) and park waste and sludge.
source
methodology
Data from EDGAR. Estimates available from 2015 to 2018. 2018 values have been forward-filled for the remaining years.
data frequency
Updated every
year, delayed
6.43billion tonnes
2.11%of total global emissions
subsector
Open Burning Waste
definition
Emissions from the combustion of solid and liquid waste in controlled incineration facilities, as well as in nature (open-air) or in open dumps.
source
methodology
Data from EDGAR. Estimates available from 2015 to 2018. 2018 values have been forward-filled for the remaining years.
data frequency
Updated every
year, delayed
5.72billion tonnes
1.88%of total global emissions
subsector
Solid Waste Disposal
definition
Methane and other greenhouse gas emissions from the treatment and disposal of municipal, industrial and other solid waste. Electricity generation facilities are excluded from this subsector.
source
methodology
Data from EDGAR. Estimates available from 2015 to 2018. 2018 values have been forward-filled for the remaining years.
data frequency
Updated every
year, delayed
7.33billion tonnes
2.41%of total global emissions
subsector
Wastewater Treatment and Discharge
definition
Methane emissions from the treatment and disposal of wastewater from domestic, commercial and industrial sources.
source
methodology
Data from EDGAR. Estimates available from 2015 to 2018. 2018 values have been forward-filled for the remaining years.
data frequency
Updated every
year, delayed
Greenhouse gas emissions from the transport of people and goods in domestic waterways and international waters. All emissions are displayed as total carbon dioxide equivalents using 100-year equivalencies.
21 months ago
emissions
contributor
5.38billion tonnes
1.77%of total global emissions
subsector
Shipping
definition
Exhaust emissions from the combustion of fuels in international and domestic voyages of vessels greater than 300 tonnes.
source
methodology
Shipping estimates are estimated using Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) transmissions from vessels, which is combined with vessel characteristics. The estimation method is based on audited emissions reported to the European Union. Values for 2015-2017 were backfilled from 2018 estimates and adjusted based on the overall trend in emissions reported in the 4th IMO Report. Values for all years were adjusted to compensate for vessels not included in the model.
Full Methodology
data frequency
Updated every
year
Greenhouse gas emissions from mining and quarrying. All emissions are displayed as total carbon dioxide equivalents using 100-year equivalencies.
21 months ago
emissions
contributor
0.01billion tonnes
0.00%of total global emissions
subsector
Bauxite mining
definition
Emissions from energy usage in bauxite mining activities.
source
methodology
Bauxite-mining emissions are derived from total production at yearly, country-level scale using a minimum of 10 years of production data (2007-2016) and forecasted through 2020. Emissions factors are applied based on the ore quality within a country and the energy required to extract based on surface proximity.
Full Methodology
data frequency
Updated every
year
0.00billion tonnes
0.00%of total global emissions
subsector
Coal mining
definition
Fugitive methane emissions from coal mining and post-mining activities.
source
methodology
Data included in ‘Oil and Gas - Solid fuel transformation’.
0.13billion tonnes
0.04%of total global emissions
subsector
Copper mining
definition
Emissions from energy usage in copper mining activities.
source
methodology
Copper mining emissions are derived from total production at yearly, country-level scale using a minimum of 10 years of production data (2007-2016) and forecasted through 2020. Emissions factors are applied based on the ore quality within a country and the energy required to extract based on surface proximity.
Full Methodology
data frequency
Updated every
year
0.11billion tonnes
0.04%of total global emissions
subsector
Iron mining
definition
Emissions from energy usage in iron mining activities.
source
methodology
Iron mining emissions are derived from total production at yearly, country-level scale using a minimum of 10 years of production data (2007-2016) and forecasted through 2020. Emissions factors are applied based on the ore quality within a country and the energy required to extract based on surface proximity.
Full Methodology
data frequency
Updated every
year
0.06billion tonnes
0.02%of total global emissions
subsector
Rock quarry
definition
Greenhouse gas emissions from energy usage for mining limestone, granite, and marble.
source
methodology
Rock-quarry emissions are derived from total production inventories at yearly, country-level scale using a minimum of 10 years of production data (2007-2016) and forecasted through 2020. Then emissions factors are applied based on the ore quality within a country and the energy required to extract based on surface proximity.
Full Methodology
data frequency
Updated every
year
0.02billion tonnes
0.01%of total global emissions
subsector
Sand quarry
definition
Greenhouse gas emissions from the extraction of sand and gravel and used in the construction industry.
source
methodology
Sand-quarry emissions are derived from total production inventories at yearly, country-level scale using a minimum of 10 years of production data (2007-2016) and forecasted through 2020. Then emissions factors are applied based on the ore quality within a country and the energy required to extract based on surface proximity.
Full Methodology
data frequency
Updated every
year
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