Global Agricultural Land Use Emissions Estimates from 1961

FAOSTAT Emissions Totals provide greenhouse gas emissions data from agriculture and forest land, including methane, nitrous oxide, and carbon dioxide. Estimates cover all countries for the period 1961 to 2019, with projections for 2030 and 2050 for some categories. The dataset is compiled by the Food and Agriculture Organization using IPCC Tier 1 methodology and updated annually.

Use Cases

• Analyze trends in N2O emissions from livestock by country and year to identify mitigation opportunities.
• Model the relationship between land use change processes and CO2 emissions/removals over time.
• Compare CH4 emissions from crop activities across different countries using the standardized kilotonne (kt) units.
• Forecast aggregate CO2eq emissions for 2030 and 2050 based on historical data from 1961-2019.
• Assess the contribution of forest management to total greenhouse gas emissions by geographic region.

Strengths

• Global country-level coverage for over 58 years (1961–2019).
• Includes forward-looking projections for 2030 and 2050 for some emission categories.
• Data computed using a standardized IPCC Tier 1 methodology ensuring comparability.
• Annual updates maintain temporal relevance.

Limitations

• Emissions estimates are computed at Tier 1, a less detailed level than higher IPCC tiers.
• Temporal coverage is inconsistent, with some categories starting in 1990 instead of 1961.
• Projections for 2030 and 2050 are not available for all emission categories.

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 for some categories; 1990–2019 for others.

Freshness

Updated annually.

Geography

Global, by country.