The European Commission, in cooperation with the International Energy Agency (IEA), has published the report "GHG EMISSIONS OF ALL WORLD COUNTRIES – 2025 Report". This publication, jointly prepared by experts such as M. Crippa, D. Guizzardi, F. Pagani and others, provides an independent quantitative overview of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and plays a key role in the Paris Agreement process. The report, published by the Publications Office of the European Union in Luxembourg, draws on an extensive database EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research), which provides time series of greenhouse gas emissions for all countries and anthropogenic sectors from 1970 to 2024. It also includes emissions and removals from land use and forestry (LULUCF). The EDGAR database, due to its reliability, independence and completeness, is a valuable quantitative information source that supports comprehensive international scientific and policy discussions on climate change mitigation. Its content does not necessarily reflect the position of the European Commission.

Global greenhouse gas emissions (non-LULUCF): Growth and key players

According to messages global greenhouse gas emissions (excluding LULUCF) reached a value of 53.2 Gt CO2eq, which represents an increase of 1.3 % compared to 2023. The increase in emissions was recorded in all sectors. Energy industry maintained its position as the dominant sector with almost 30 % share of total global greenhouse gas emissions and recorded the largest absolute increase (+1.5 % or +235.2 Mt CO2eq). The largest relative increase in emissions in 2024 (+1.6 % or +93.6 Mt CO2eq) was in the sector fuel extraction. The report also identifies the six largest emitting economies – China, the United States, India, Russia, Indonesia and the EU27 – whose trends are analysed in detail. It is important to note that the emission estimates are subject to a certain level of uncertainty, ranging from approximately ±0.5 % for the years 1970–2022 to ±2 % for the years 2022–2024. The overall uncertainty in global greenhouse gas emissions is estimated to be -9 % to +16 %.

Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF): Both Source and Sink

The LULUCF (Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry) sector is key to addressing climate change. In 2024, the sector absorbed approximately 1.3 Gt CO2eq if fires are excludedHowever, if fires are also taken into account, the LULUCF sector becomes a source of greenhouse gas emissions in 2024, amounting to 0.9 Gt CO2eqThis was mainly due to extensive fires in Latin America and Canada. Managed forests (living biomass) are by far the largest category of CO2 removals, with an estimated capture of 5.5 Gt in 2024, equivalent to 13.9 % of global CO2 emissions from fossil fuels. Conversely, global deforestation was responsible for net CO2 emissions of 3.7 Gt CO2 in 2024. The differences in estimates between this report and the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) reports are largely explained by different approaches to the definition of “anthropogenic” CO2 removals. For example, the EU27 recorded net CO2 removals of 0.168 Gt CO2eq (including fires) in 2024, which is around 21 % less than in 1990.

EDGAR Methodology: Transparency and Consistency

The EDGAR database uses IPCC-based, bottom-up methodology for calculating emissions, which is applied to all countries, ensuring global consistency and comparability. Primary data come from international statistics, in particular from the International Energy Agency (IEA) for CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion. For CH4, N2O and F-gas emissions, own estimates EDGAR_2025_GHG (2025) are used. For the current years (2023-2024) the method is used Fast Track, which allows for rapid data updates. For LULUCF, estimates are based on satellite data and the IPCC Tier 1 approach with improvements for more realistic estimates, for example in forest age classification and calculation of fuelwood losses. EDGAR data is transparent, complete and detailed, making it a reliable source of information for researchers, policymakers and citizens.

Significance for climate policy and science:

The EDGAR report and its data are an important contribution to the Paris Agreement process, in particular to the Global Stocktakes process. It provides independent and scientifically sound information that complements official national inventories. These data serve as a tool for policymakers to fill knowledge gaps and compare reported data. In addition, EDGAR emissions are also used in the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and regularly in the annual UNEP Emission Gap Reports. The reliability and comprehensiveness of the EDGAR database make it an indispensable resource for international discussions on climate change mitigation and for the development of effective climate strategies. JRi