The dataset contains annual global plant respiration (and related diagnostics, such as Net Primary Productivity, Gross Primary Productivity and soil respiration), applicable for pre-industrial times (taken as year 1860) through to the end of the 21st Century (year 2100). The spatial resolution of the data is 2.5 degrees latitude x 3.75 degrees longitude. These diagnostics are outputs from the Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES land surface model) under four different approaches to calcluate leaf respiration. Each of four sets contains a total of 34 runs, each driven by a different CMIP5 model climate pattern, using the Integrated Model Of Global Effects of climatic aNomalies (IMOGEN) system. These are for a 'business-as-usual' approach to fossil fuel usage, as the Representative Concentration Pathway scenario RCP8.5. These simulations form the basis for new research paper by Huntingford et al (2017, under review).