Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data is essential for tracking progress towards the
Paris Agreement’s global temperature goals. In addition to the emissions inventories
based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change guidelines, which are used
for tracking progress under the framework of the Paris Agreement, there are other
GHG emissions datasets that cater to different users and policy objectives. This paper
evaluates three OECD datasets on GHG emissions: Air emissions – Greenhouse gas emissions
inventories, Agricultural greenhouse gases emissions, and the Air Emissions Accounts
(AEAs) based on the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting. It also looks at
one dataset from the International Energy Agency: CO2 emissions from fuel combustion.
It discusses the inventory and AEA approaches in terms of accounting principles (production-
versus demand-based, territory versus residence), as well as classifications and scope
of emissions. It looks at the coverage of the GHG emissions datasets and identifies
the data gaps. Finally, the paper outlines several steps to enhance data coverage
and quality of the datasets.