FAOSTAT Emissions Totals provides greenhouse gas emissions data from agriculture and forest land, including methane, nitrous oxide, and carbon dioxide. Estimates are available by country with global coverage for 1961–2019, with projections to 2030 and 2050 for some categories. The database is updated annually by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Use Cases
- Model national agricultural emissions trends using country-level time-series data from 1961 to 2019.
- Analyze the contribution of specific gases like N2O or CH4 to total CO2-equivalent emissions by country.
- Compare emissions from different agricultural activities, such as crop production versus livestock, using activity-specific categories.
- Project future emissions scenarios for 2030 and 2050 based on historical data and provided projections.
Strengths
- Global country-level coverage for a 58-year period from 1961 to 2019.
- Emissions data for three major greenhouse gases (CH4, N2O, CO2) aggregated into CO2-equivalent units.
- Includes future projections for 2030 and 2050 for some emission categories.
Limitations
- Data is computed at IPCC Tier 1 methodology, which uses default emission factors and may be less precise than higher-tier, country-specific methods.
- Temporal coverage is inconsistent for some categories, with data starting in 1990 instead of 1961.
- The most recent complete historical data is from 2019, which may not reflect recent policy or technological changes.
Provenance
- Source
- FAOSTAT (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations).
- Collection Method
- Computed at Tier 1 of the IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories.
- Time Range
- 1961–2019 with projections for 2030 and -2050.
- Freshness
- Updated annually.
- Geography
- Global coverage by country.