Independent · Multi-source · Research-grade
Global greenhouse-gas emissions, harmonized.
Per-country, per-sector, per-year emissions reconciled across EU EDGAR (Joint Research Centre), the World Bank Climate Knowledge Portal, Climate TRACE, and UNFCCC national inventories — so you can see where the sources agree, where they diverge, and why.
Understanding CO2-equivalent
GWP100 explained for non-specialists
EDGAR vs UNFCCC
Why sources disagree on the same country
LULUCF: most-disputed sector
Where 50%+ source disagreement is normal
Climate TRACE explained
Satellite-derived emissions verification
Top emitting countries (GtCO2e, 2022)
Choropleth-style ranking of largest emitters
About this data
PlainEmissions tracks roughly 50 gigatonnes of annual CO2-equivalent greenhouse-gas emissions across every country with a national inventory, broken out by IPCC sector (energy, industry, transport, buildings, agriculture, land use, waste) and by gas (CO2, methane, nitrous oxide, F-gases). The dataset covers 1970 to present where bottom-up models reach back, and the most recent reporting year for self-reported inventories.
Unlike single-source dashboards, every country and sector page reconciles four independent measurements side-by-side. When World Bank's macro indicator and EDGAR's bottom-up model and Climate TRACE's satellite estimate disagree, you see the spread rather than a single number presented as ground truth. Methodological provenance is a first-class feature, not a footnote.
Built and maintained by the Kiznis Studio editorial team. Source provenance, vintage dates, and unit conversions are documented on the methodology page. For data corrections or licensing inquiries, see contact.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What is PlainEmissions?
PlainEmissions is a free, independent research platform that makes global greenhouse-gas emissions data searchable and comparable. We harmonize four independent sources — World Bank Climate Data, EU EDGAR (Joint Research Centre), Climate TRACE, and UNFCCC national inventories — so you can see per-country, per-sector, per-year emissions side-by-side rather than fighting four different download portals and file formats.
Where does the data come from?
Every figure on PlainEmissions is traceable to one of four upstream sources: EU EDGAR (bottom-up sector model, 1970-present, all countries), the World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal (country-level macro indicators), Climate TRACE (satellite + ML facility-level estimates), and UNFCCC national inventory submissions (official country reports). All four are open-license (CC BY 4.0 or public). Every detail page links back to the upstream record so you can verify.
Why do different sources disagree on the same country?
They use different methods. UNFCCC inventories are self-reported by governments using IPCC guidelines. EDGAR uses a globally-consistent bottom-up model. Climate TRACE uses independent satellite measurements and machine learning. Disagreement is informative — it surfaces methodological uncertainty that single-source dashboards hide. Our research pages compare sources side-by-side rather than picking one.
Is this data free to use?
Yes. All emissions data on PlainEmissions is free to view and free to cite. Upstream licenses (CC BY 4.0 for EDGAR / World Bank / Climate TRACE; public domain for UNFCCC) carry through — please credit the original source when citing. For high-volume programmatic access or bulk research data licenses, see the contact page.
How often is the data updated?
EDGAR releases annually (typically Q3-Q4). World Bank indicators refresh monthly. Climate TRACE issues quarterly updates. UNFCCC inventories update on a rolling country-by-country basis. We refresh our database within four weeks of any major upstream release; the methodology page tracks the current vintage of each source.