Monthly methane emissions in China from 2018–2024 based on source-level data
13 affiliations
- 1School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080 China
- 2School of Land Science and Technology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083 China
- 3Center for Carbon Neutrality, Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning, Beijing, 100043 China
- 4School of Economics and Management, North China University of Technology, Beijing, 100144 China
- 5School of Economics and Management, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083 China
- 6Chinese Academy of Natural Resources Economics, Sanhe City, 101149 China
- 7State Grid Shaanxi Electric Power Company Limited Research Institute, Xi’an, 710065 China
- 8School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Solid Waste Treatment and Resource, Shanghai, 200240 China
- 9School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University of Electric Power, Shanghai, 200090 China
- 10School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013 China
- 11State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101 China
- 12Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Greenhouse Gas Accounting and Carbon Reduction, Institute of Energy Research, Jiangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanchang, 330096 China
- 13Jiangxi Carbon Neutralization Research Center, Nanchang, 330096 China
Abstract
China is the world’s largest source of methane (CH4) emissions and has signalled its intention to incorporate methane into its climate commitments. Designing effective methane-mitigation strategies requires robust estimates of up-to-date emissions, particularly when the pronounced spatial heterogeneity and temporal variability of each emission source are considered. However, there is currently an absence of source-level, up-to-date and dynamic CH4 emission estimations in China, constraining the formulation of measurable targets. In this study, we present the Chinese Methane Emissions Database (CMED), a nationwide, source-level, monthly emission inventory covering the period 2018–2024. The CMED provides a comprehensive account of anthropogenic CH₄ emissions in China. Uncertainty analysis of the CMED indicates that CH₄ emission estimates fall within an acceptable range (±3.57%), underscoring the robustness of the dataset. This comprehensive dataset enables more accurate analyses by providing integrated, source-level and temporally explicit information, offering critical support for policy evaluation under China’s new round of Nationally Determined Contributions climate commitments released in 2025.
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BibTeX
@article{wu2026monthly,
title = {{Monthly methane emissions in China from 2018–2024 based on source-level data}},
author = {Pengcheng Wu and Ke Wang and Jing Guo and Min Jia and Jianhui Ruan and Sen Liang and Haoyu Zhang and Jingyi Wu and Ying Cui and Chen Lyu and Hui Xu and Jianjun Zhang and Wensheng Duan and Bofeng Cai and Jinnan Wang and Li Zhang},
journal = {Scientific Data},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1038/s41597-026-07871-3},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-026-07871-3},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Monthly methane emissions in China from 2018–2024 based on source-level data
AU - Pengcheng Wu
AU - Ke Wang
AU - Jing Guo
AU - Min Jia
AU - Jianhui Ruan
AU - Sen Liang
AU - Haoyu Zhang
AU - Jingyi Wu
AU - Ying Cui
AU - Chen Lyu
AU - Hui Xu
AU - Jianjun Zhang
AU - Wensheng Duan
AU - Bofeng Cai
AU - Jinnan Wang
AU - Li Zhang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/13
JO - Scientific Data
DO - 10.1038/s41597-026-07871-3
UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-026-07871-3
AB - China is the world’s largest source of methane (CH4) emissions and has signalled its intention to incorporate methane into its climate commitments. Designing effective methane-mitigation strategies requires robust estimates of up-to-date emissions, particularly when the pronounced spatial heterogeneity and temporal variability of each emission source are considered. However, there is currently an absence of source-level, up-to-date and dynamic CH4 emission estimations in China, constraining the formulation of measurable targets. In this study, we present the Chinese Methane Emissions Database (CMED), a nationwide, source-level, monthly emission inventory covering the period 2018–2024. The CMED provides a comprehensive account of anthropogenic CH₄ emissions in China. Uncertainty analysis of the CMED indicates that CH₄ emission estimates fall within an acceptable range (±3.57%), underscoring the robustness of the dataset. This comprehensive dataset enables more accurate analyses by providing integrated, source-level and temporally explicit information, offering critical support for policy evaluation under China’s new round of Nationally Determined Contributions climate commitments released in 2025.
SN - 2052-4463
ER -