METHODS + SOURCES

OBSERVED

Direct instrumental measurement or a provider’s processed observational series.

REPORTED

A value reproduced or summarized from a named institution or publication.

ESTIMATED

A calculation made from a published annual rate or other stated assumption.

MODELED

A result dependent on a scientific model, probability choice, or scenario.

PROJECTED

A conditional future pathway—not a prediction or guarantee.

The headline emissions counter begins with the Global Carbon Budget 2025 estimate of 42.2 gigatonnes of annual CO₂ emissions, equivalent to a daily-average rate of about 1,337 tonnes per second. To make the terminal responsive to time, the on-screen instantaneous rate follows a small, smooth UTC activity curve with a daily mean of exactly 1.0. Its two sine components vary the displayed rate by no more than roughly seven per cent while preserving the published daily and annual average.

The within-day curve is a visualization model—not an observed hourly global emissions feed. The year, day, and browser-session counters integrate that curve rather than multiplying elapsed time by the current instantaneous rate. Pass the Minute receipts use the published daily-average rate so every verified minute remains comparable.

Remaining-budget figures are scenario-dependent illustrations. They vary with the warming threshold, probability, baseline date, non-CO₂ warming, Earth-system feedbacks, and future emissions. The 1.5°C chart begins with the Global Carbon Budget’s January 2026 estimate of 170 GtCO₂ and subtracts 42.2 GtCO₂ at each one-year interval. It is a simple “if unchanged” comparison, not a deadline or forecast.

NOAA: Data/Image provided by NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory, Boulder, Colorado, USA. NOAA information is generally public domain unless otherwise marked. Climate CountUp is not affiliated with or endorsed by NOAA.

Copernicus: Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026. Neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use that may be made of the Copernicus information or data it contains. See the Copernicus licence.

Global Carbon Project: Global Carbon Budget figures and data are credited to the Global Carbon Project and, where identified by the provider, made available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Climate CountUp adapts and rounds values for presentation.

Other institutional names and links identify sources only. No source provider sponsors, approves, or endorses Climate CountUp. Individual datasets may carry additional terms; those terms control.

Compact charts on the main terminal use dated points from the named primary sources. The CO₂ series uses NOAA’s global annual means plus the latest April 2026 monthly mean. The warming series averages the six Copernicus five-year datasets and converts them to the 1850–1900 baseline specified in the source file. The policy series reproduces each UNEP report’s current-policy estimate. The carbon-budget series is the explicitly labeled constant-rate calculation described above.

The charts are designed to show direction and scale, not replace the providers’ full-resolution datasets. Open any metric to see every plotted year and value, then follow its primary-source link for the complete record.

Update schedules differ, annual figures may be estimates, and methodology revisions can change historical comparisons. Geographic and sector totals may use different boundaries. Rounded dashboard values should not be used as substitutes for downloadable source datasets or peer-reviewed analysis. To report a sourcing, attribution, or calculation issue, email michael@plenode.com.