Eli5: how can we really know how much CO2 we are emitting anyways?

Question

If it’s not done via satellite and relies on reporting from countries, then it must be very off. Who knows what I burn somewhere in a developing country? Plus, countries might just underreport it anyways

In: Planetary Science

Answer 1

When you burn a gallon of gasoline, or diesel, or burn a pound of coal, the amount of CO2 produced per unit is know quite precisely. You can fairly accurately estimate CO2 production simply through knowing how much fuel is sold in a country.