Articles | Volume 18, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-2549-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-2549-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Data review article
| 
09 Apr 2026
Data review article |
| 09 Apr 2026
| 09 Apr 2026
Differences in anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions estimates explained
William F. Lamb
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Member of the Leibniz Association, Potsdam, Germany
Priestley Centre for Climate Futures, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
Robbie M. Andrew
CICERO Center for International Climate Research, Oslo, Norway
Matthew Jones
Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
Zebedee Nicholls
Energy, Climate and Environment Program, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Laxenburg, Austria
Climate Resource S Gmbh, Berlin, Germany
School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Glen P. Peters
CICERO Center for International Climate Research, Oslo, Norway
Chris Smith
Department of Water and Climate, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
Energy, Climate and Environment Program, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Laxenburg, Austria
Marielle Saunois
Laboratoire des Sciences du climat et de l'Environnement, LSCE-IPSL (CEA-CNRS-UVSQ), Université Paris-Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
Giacomo Grassi
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy
Julia Pongratz
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
Steven J. Smith
Center for Global Sustainability, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
Francesco N. Tubiello
Statistics Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Via Terme di Caracalla, Rome 00153 Italy
Monica Crippa
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy
Matthew Gidden
Energy, Climate and Environment Program, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Laxenburg, Austria
Center for Global Sustainability, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
Pierre Friedlingstein
Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4QF, UK
Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique, Institut Pierre-Simon Laplace, CNRS, École Normale Supérieure, Université PSL, Sorbonne Université, École Polytechnique, Paris, France
Jan Minx
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Member of the Leibniz Association, Potsdam, Germany
Priestley Centre for Climate Futures, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
Piers M. Forster
Priestley Centre for Climate Futures, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
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Total article views: 3,181 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
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Total article views: 291 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
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Total article views: 3,181 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
Thereof 3,124 with geography defined
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Latest update: 30 Apr 2026
Short summary
This study explores why global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions estimates vary. Key reasons include different coverage of gases and sectors, varying definitions of anthropogenic land use change emissions, and the Paris Agreement not covering all emission sources. The study highlights three main ways emissions data is reported, each with different objectives and resulting in varying global emission totals. It emphasizes the need for transparency in choosing datasets and setting assessment scopes.
This study explores why global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions estimates vary. Key reasons...
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