Global, Regional, and National Fossil-Fuel CO2 Emissions, 1751 to Present

Thomas A. Boden of Oak Ridge National Laboratory compiled this dataset of fossil fuel CO2 emissions. It provides historical estimates from 1751 to the present, derived from national energy statistics, production data, and trade compilations digitized from multiple published sources. The methodology for calculating emissions follows established procedures from Marland and Rotty (1984) and Boden et al. (1995).

Use Cases

• Modeling long-term global carbon emission trends based on the 1751-present time series.
• Analyzing national and regional contributions to fossil fuel CO2 emissions based on the compiled production and trade data.
• Validating climate and energy policy scenarios using historical emission estimates derived from U.N. and USGS statistics.

Strengths

• Provides a long historical time series, with data points extending back to 1751.
• Emissions are calculated using established, peer-reviewed methodologies from cited publications.
• Integrates data from multiple authoritative sources, including U.N. statistics and USGS data.

Limitations

• Row count and specific column definitions are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality and granularity require manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Thomas A. Boden), based on compilations by Etemad et al., Mitchell, and U.N. statistics.

Collection Method

Digitization of historical energy production and trade statistics, with CO2 emissions calculated following Marland and Rotty (1984) procedures.

Time Range

1751 to present (at time of compilation).

Geography

Global, with national and regional breakdowns.