Global Carbon Budget 2023

A newer version of this dataset is available. The latest version available on Openclimatedata is 2025.

Published: December 5, 2023

Citation: Friedlingstein et al., Global Carbon Budget 2023. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-5301-2023

Data: Global Carbon Project. (2023). Supplemental data of Global Carbon Budget 2023 (Version 1.1) [Data set]. Global Carbon Project. https://doi.org/10.18160/gcp-2023

Changelog:
  • 2022 total anthropogenic CO₂ emissions (including the cement carbonation sink): 11.1±0.8 GtC/year (40.7±3.2 GtCO₂/year).
  • 2022 fossil CO₂ emissions increased by 0.9% to 9.9 ± 0.5 GtC/year (including the cement carbonation sink, 0.2 GtC/year)
  • 2022 global atmospheric CO₂ concentration: 417.1 ± 0.1 ppm
  • remaining carbon budget for a 50% likelihood to limit global warming to 1.5, 1.7, and 2°C has been reduced to 75 GtC (275 GtCO₂), 175 GtC (625 GtCO₂), and 315 GtC (1150 GtCO₂)

Global Carbon Budget

All values in billion tonnes of carbon per year (GtC/yr), for the globe.
For values in billion tonnes of carbon dioxide per year (GtCO₂/yr) , multiply the numbers below by 3.664.
Note: 1 billion tonnes C = 1 petagram of carbon (10^15 gC) = 1 gigatonne C = 3.664 billion tonnes of CO₂
All uncertainties represent ±1 sigma error (68% chance of being in the range provided)
Emissions from fossil fuel combustion and industrial processes (uncertainty of ±5% for a ± 1 sigma confidence level):
Cite as: Friedlingstein et al. 2023 (see Summary tab).
Emissions from land-use change (uncertainty of ±0.7 GtC/yr). Average of three bookkeeping models: H&N (Houghton & Castanho, 2023), BLUE (Hansis, et al., 2015) and OSCAR (Gasser et al., 2020).
Cite as: Friedlingstein et al. 2023 (see Summary tab).
The atmospheric CO₂ growth rate (variable uncertainty around 0.2 GtC/yr from 1980) is estimated directly from atmospheric CO₂ concentration measurements, and provided by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Earth System Research Laboratory (NOAA/ESRL). http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/trends/global.html
Cite as: Lan et al. 2023: Trends in atmospheric carbon dioxide, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, Earth System Research Laboratory (NOAA/ESRL), available at http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/trends/global.html 1959-1980 are based on Mauna Loa and South Pole stations as observed by the CO₂ Program at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. http://scrippsco2.ucsd.edu/data/atmospheric_co2/ 1980 onwards are global averages estimated from multiple stations run by NOAA/ESRL.
The ocean sink (uncertainty of ±0.4 GtC/yr on average) is estimated from the average of 10 global ocean biogeochemistry models and the average of 7 ocean fCO₂ data products.
Cite as: Friedlingstein et al. 2023 (see Summary tab).
The land sink (uncertainty of ±0.5 GtC/yr on average) was estimated from the average of 20 dynamic global vegetation models.
Cite as: Friedlingstein et al. 2023 (see Summary tab).
The cement carbonation sink is the average of two estimates:
Cite as: Friedlingstein et al. 2023 (see Summary tab).
The budget imbalance is the sum of emissions (fossil fuel and industry + land-use change) minus (atmospheric growth + ocean sink + land sink + cement carbonation sink); it is a measure of our imperfect data and understanding of the contemporary carbon cycle.
Cite as: Friedlingstein et al. 2023 (see Summary tab).

fossil emissions excluding carbonation

1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
2020
4
6
8
10
GtC

land-use change emissions

1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
2020
1.2
1.4
1.6
1.8
2
GtC

atmospheric growth

1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
2020
2
3
4
5
6
GtC

ocean sink

1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
2020
1
1.5
2
2.5
GtC

land sink

1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
2020
1
2
3
4
GtC

cement carbonation sink

1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
2020
0.05
0.1
0.15
0.2
GtC

budget imbalance

1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
2020
-1.5
-1
-0.5
0
0.5
1
1.5
GtC

Unit GtC/year

Yearfossil emissions excluding carbonationland-use change emissionsatmospheric growthocean sinkland sinkcement carbonation sinkbudget imbalance
19592.41672.12152.03900.99240.43040.01251.0638
19602.56181.86441.50800.93651.25230.01370.7156
19612.56941.78751.65670.83950.89960.01450.9465
19622.66011.65781.18940.92361.29400.01570.8952
19632.80191.60411.21071.11170.95970.01671.1072
19642.95401.56531.04081.22951.64490.01820.5859
19653.08671.42072.33641.33790.36660.01920.4473
19663.23741.37412.33641.26841.56330.0206−0.5773
19673.33961.41121.29561.11011.73100.02170.5925
19683.52191.42802.10281.20102.48560.0232−0.8626
19693.75571.34052.80371.29990.76560.02460.2024
19704.06611.39582.40011.11310.77480.02611.1478
19714.23111.31531.55051.22932.30660.02760.4324
19724.42781.31613.12231.53121.25390.0301−0.1936
19734.66251.28153.10101.37191.68690.0322−0.2481
19744.64231.24571.44431.31863.76590.0329−0.6738
19754.65341.25902.61251.23802.52260.0336−0.4944
19764.90861.25302.06031.44052.99790.0355−0.3726
19775.04771.25314.07811.53091.41710.0379−0.7633
19785.20301.21632.74001.55552.53850.0405−0.4552
19795.35021.15444.54541.52501.16600.0420−0.7738
19805.31731.20263.63201.78840.44300.04320.6133
19815.19021.27042.44261.76292.17480.04400.0364
19825.14881.27642.12401.94711.62050.04480.6888
19835.18171.40823.88692.09850.35980.04630.1985
19845.36071.62852.61251.87412.84170.0477−0.3867
19855.54181.50233.50461.76702.65090.0490−0.9275
19865.62431.55372.16651.83432.43580.05140.6901
19875.79851.50515.62861.98860.63690.0537−1.0042
19886.02551.44624.58781.80912.09690.0569−1.0791
19896.10781.43043.10101.84653.55230.0568−1.0184
19906.20981.41022.59132.00882.36510.05610.5987
19916.33991.35001.59302.13982.14380.05951.7538
19926.15921.42551.52932.30172.44390.06031.2495
19936.22231.39992.61252.24582.99650.0644−0.2971
19946.28681.57653.52582.03421.48020.06790.7552
19956.42041.53924.24802.03321.83960.0715−0.2328
19966.61851.63682.23022.02853.41650.07420.5058
19976.65832.04184.18432.20053.28680.0770−1.0485
19986.64051.68266.03222.24041.52080.0777−1.5480
19996.77771.63862.82491.99663.55170.0805−0.0374
20006.96001.46722.65501.93673.81610.0835−0.0642
20017.00731.37453.90821.83712.54870.08610.0018
20027.16381.46985.03392.23781.29390.0905−0.0225
20037.54601.59214.86402.34312.55710.0973−0.7232
20047.81121.47213.31342.30343.60200.1041−0.0396
20058.07641.33515.24632.33692.01600.1112−0.2987
20068.35311.42873.75952.44603.23890.12100.2164
20078.59711.24354.50292.37772.89220.1304−0.0626
20088.74511.29393.75952.40143.62490.13470.1185
20098.59531.42913.35592.55912.99850.14150.9694
20109.09021.41315.14012.51833.34480.1503−0.6502
20119.39861.42413.56832.55684.13270.16270.4022
20129.53481.45885.11882.61772.59190.16920.4959
20139.61581.32615.20382.64953.63920.1772−0.7278
20149.67961.42314.33302.78603.85610.1849−0.0572
20159.67881.53666.26582.85002.27750.1859−0.3638
20169.67801.25526.03222.96922.94000.1880−1.1962
20179.83231.24594.54542.83053.72980.1921−0.2196
201810.03461.16955.07642.90753.60470.1982−0.5826
201910.10921.25485.31002.95593.00990.2016−0.1134
20209.55451.17234.97022.91443.11000.2069−0.4746
202110.04821.17955.20382.82563.54270.2165−0.5609
202210.13911.17634.63032.77973.78010.2175−0.0922