China’s process-related greenhouse gas emission dataset 1990–2020

China’s industrial process-related Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions are growing rapidly and are already equivalent to 13–19% of energy-related emissions in the past three decades. Previous studies mainly focused on emissions from fossil fuel combustion, however, there are a broad range of misconceptions regarding the trend and source of process-related emissions. To effectively implement emission reduction policies, it is necessary to compile an accurate accounting of process-related GHG emissions. However, the incompleteness in scope, unsuitable emission factor, and delay in updates in the current emission inventory have led to inaccurate emission estimates and inefficient mitigation actions. Following the methodology provided by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), we constructed a time series inventory of process-related GHG emissions for 15 industrial products from 1990–2020 in China. This emission inventory covers more than 90% of China’s process-related GHG emissions. In our study, emission factors were adjusted to refer to the industrial production process, technology, and raw material structure in China, which has led to increased accuracy of emission accounting. The dataset can help identify the sources of process-related GHG emissions in China and provide a data base for further policy implications.