Where North Africa’s estimated methane emissions came from

Fuel production dominates the Algeria estimate

The 2025 inventory puts Algeria at 59.699 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent, with 39.861 million from fuel production. The fuel production estimate was below 48.604 million in 1990, while waste rose from 2.693 million to 10.326 million. Source 1

Egypt had a different distribution at a similar total

Egypt’s 2025 total was 57.091 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent. Waste contributed 23.305 million, fuel production 18.431 million and agriculture 14.093 million. The two largest sectors in Egypt together contributed a smaller fraction of the total than they did in Algeria. Source 1

Waste accounted for most of Morocco’s rise

Morocco’s total moved from 14.818 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent in 1990 to 29.124 million in 2025. Waste rose from 6.915 million to 21.215 million over the same period. Tunisia’s 2025 waste estimate was 3.271 million against a total of 8.043 million. Source 1

CO₂ equivalent expresses climate effect on a common scale

The chart shows methane converted using a 100-year warming factor, rather than physical tonnes of methane or emissions of carbon dioxide itself. EDGAR models sector emissions using activity data and emissions factors. Its categories and estimates can differ from national inventory submissions. Source 1 Source 2

Sources

• European Commission Joint Research Centre, EDGAR 2026 greenhouse gas estimates by sector and country
• European Commission Joint Research Centre, EDGAR emissions methodology