FAOSTAT Emissions Totals provide greenhouse gas emissions data from agriculture and forest land, focusing on nitrous oxide (N2O) from farm-gate activities. Estimates are computed using IPCC Tier 1 guidelines and are available by country with global coverage from 1961 to 2019, including some projections for 2030 and 2050. The database is maintained by the FAO and updated annually.
Use Cases
- Analyze trends in country-level N2O emissions from agricultural activities over the 1961-2019 time period.
- Model future emission scenarios using the provided 2030 and 2050 projections for specific emission categories.
- Compare national agricultural emissions contributions by aggregating CH4, N2O, and CO2 data into CO2eq units using AR5 global warming potentials.
- Assess emissions from specific agricultural sources like crop production, livestock, and forest management as defined by the IPCC guidelines.
Strengths
- Global country-level coverage for a 58-year period (1961-2019).
- Data computed using standardized IPCC Tier 1 methodology ensuring comparability.
- Includes forward-looking projections for 2030 and 2050 for some emission categories.
Limitations
- Methodology is limited to IPCC Tier 1, which uses simpler, default emission factors compared to higher tiers.
- Temporal coverage is inconsistent for some categories, with data starting in 1990 instead of 1961.
- Specific sample sizes, row counts, and data granularity below the country level are unknown.
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.