Global Carbon Budget 2016

Summary

This comprehensive global carbon budget assessment synthesises multiple independent data streams, models, and methodologies to quantify anthropogenic CO2 emissions and their redistribution among the atmosphere, ocean, and terrestrial biosphere for 2006–2015. The study combines energy statistics, cement production data, land-cover change observations, fire activity records, ocean measurements, and dynamic global vegetation models to estimate all major carbon budget components with characterised uncertainties. The analysis supports climate policy development and future climate change projections by providing integrated, internally consistent estimates of the global carbon cycle.

UK applicability

As a global-scale assessment, this carbon budget framework underpins UK climate policy development and carbon accounting methodologies. The paper's approach to quantifying land-use change emissions and terrestrial carbon sinks is directly relevant to UK agricultural and land-use policy, including devolved environmental targets and emissions reporting under the Climate Change Act.

Key measures

Global CO2 emissions from fossil fuels and industry (EFF); emissions from land-use change (ELUC); global atmospheric CO2 concentration and growth rate (GATM); mean ocean CO2 sink (SOCEAN); global residual terrestrial CO2 sink (SLAND); annual anomalies and trends in carbon fluxes; uncertainties reported as ±1σ

Outcomes reported

The study quantified all major components of the global carbon budget for 2006–2015, including CO2 emissions from fossil fuels and industry, land-use change, atmospheric CO2 concentration growth, ocean CO2 sink, and residual terrestrial CO2 sink, with reported uncertainties. The research integrated diverse data sources, algorithms, models, and community interpretation to assess anthropogenic carbon redistribution among atmosphere, ocean, and terrestrial biosphere.

Topic tags