Translating Targets into Numbers: Quantifying the Greenhouse Gas Targets of the G20 Countries

This working paper by the World Resources Institute analyzes the diverse greenhouse gas reduction targets of G20 countries and converts them into a common metric of absolute emissions levels for the years 2020, 2025, and 2030 to improve clarity on future emissions trajectories.

• The G20 countries utilize various forms of greenhouse gas targets, including reductions based on historical emissions, reductions compared to projected business-as-usual scenarios, or the emissions intensity of the economy.
• Because many countries do not explicitly state the absolute terms of their targets, it is often difficult to determine the direction of future emissions.
• The paper translates the varied targets of G20 nations—specifically mentioning China, the United States, India, the European Union, and Brazil—into absolute emissions levels for 2020, 2025, and 2030, and provides visual representations of these limits.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Translating Targets into Numbers: Quantifying the Greenhouse Gas Targets of the G20 Countries. https://www.wri.org/research/translating-targets-numbers-quantifying-greenhouse-gas-targets-g20-countries

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Translating Targets into Numbers: Quantifying the Greenhouse Gas Targets of the G20 Countries. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/translating-targets-numbers-quantifying-greenhouse-gas-targets-g20-countries.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Translating Targets into Numbers: Quantifying the Greenhouse Gas Targets of the G20 Countries |url=https://www.wri.org/research/translating-targets-numbers-quantifying-greenhouse-gas-targets-g20-countries |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendtranslating, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Translating Targets into Numbers: Quantifying the Greenhouse Gas Targets of the G20 Countries}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/translating-targets-numbers-quantifying-greenhouse-gas-targets-g20-countries}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }