IEA (International Energy Agency)
The IEA is an intergovernmental organization that tracks global energy production, consumption, and emissions. It publishes energy statistics and greenhouse gas emission estimates used for national inventories, corporate reporting, and climate policy analysis.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) was founded in 1974 in response to the oil crisis. It now has 31 member countries and works with major economies around the world. Its core mission is to ensure reliable, affordable, and clean energy.
The IEA's Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Energy database is the reference for global energy-related emissions. It covers roughly 200 countries and regions from 1960 or 1971 onward and includes CO₂, methane, and nitrous oxide from fuel combustion and fugitive sources. The IEA calculates these emissions using national energy balances and the 2006 IPCC Guidelines.
For carbon accounting, IEA data is most useful as a source of energy statistics and cross-country benchmarks. It helps analysts understand whether a company's emissions intensity aligns with sector or national trends. The IEA also publishes influential scenario reports, such as the Net Zero Roadmap, that shape corporate transition planning.
Companies do not typically use raw IEA data directly in their inventories. Instead, national grid emission factors and energy mix data from the IEA inform the emission factors that carbon accounting platforms apply to Scope 2 and Scope 3 categories such as electricity and transport.
Frequently asked questions
What is the IEA? +
The International Energy Agency is an intergovernmental organization that tracks global energy data, publishes scenario analyses, and advises governments on energy security and clean energy transitions.
How does the IEA relate to carbon accounting? +
The IEA publishes global energy statistics and the Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Energy database, which inform national inventories, grid emission factors, and sector benchmarks used in corporate carbon accounting.
What is the IEA Net Zero Roadmap? +
The IEA Net Zero Roadmap is a scenario analysis that maps a global pathway to net zero emissions by 2050. It is widely cited in corporate transition planning and climate target setting.
Related terms
Emission Factor
An emission factor is a coefficient that converts an activity measurement — such as litres of fuel burned, kilowatt-hours of electricity consumed, or dollars spent on a commodity — into a quantity of greenhouse gas emissions, typically expressed in kilograms or tonnes of CO₂ equivalent (tCO₂e).
IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)
The IPCC is the United Nations scientific body that assesses climate change science, impacts, and responses. It publishes the global warming potential values and inventory guidelines used to convert methane, nitrous oxide, and other greenhouse gases into CO₂ equivalent.
Carbon Accounting
Carbon accounting is the systematic process of measuring, recording, and reporting the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced by an organization, product, or activity. It follows standardized methodologies — most commonly the GHG Protocol — to quantify emissions across Scope 1 (direct), Scope 2 (purchased energy), and Scope 3 (value chain) categories, producing an auditable inventory that underpins disclosure, reduction planning, and regulatory compliance.
Decarbonization
Decarbonization is the process of reducing greenhouse gas emissions across an organization's operations and value chain through energy efficiency improvements, fuel switching, renewable energy procurement, process changes, supply chain engagement, and technology adoption. It is the operational work that turns reduction targets into real emission cuts.
Net Zero
Net zero means reducing greenhouse gas emissions as close to zero as possible, with any remaining residual emissions balanced by an equivalent amount of carbon removal from the atmosphere. The SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standard requires at least 90–95% absolute emission reductions before carbon removals can be used.