Basics of GHG inventory preparation and Introduction to the IPCC Guidelines and Good Practice Guidelines UNFCCC Workshop on the use of the guidelines for the preparation of national communications from non-Annex I Parties 10 April 2003 Port Louis, Mauritius Kiyoto Tanabe Technical Support Unit IPCC National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Programme
IPCC IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change) Common reporting framework, scientific background and methodologies Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines Good Practice Guidance and Uncertainty Management (GPG) used by all countries For national GHG inventory preparation
Revised IPCC 1996 Guidelines Approach: Annual emissions and removals Sectoral: By gas Tiered approach National methods and emission factors can/should be used within the common reporting framework
Structure Volume I Reporting Instructions Volume II Workbook Introduction, general instructions, reporting tables, uncertainty management and glossary Volume II Workbook step-by-step instructions how to estimate the emissions Default values IPCC Software – a supplement to the Workbook Volume III Reference Manual Scientific background, understanding of the methodologies, references
Sectors Energy Industrial Processes Solvent and Other Product Use Agriculture Land-Use Change and Forestry Waste
Gases Carbon dioxide (CO2) Methane (CH4) Nitrous Oxide Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), Perfluorocarbon (PFCs) and SF6 Ozone and aerosol precursors (VOCs, NOx and SO2)
IPCC Report on Good Practice Guidance and Uncertainty Management in National Greenhouse Gas Inventories aim to assist countries in producing inventories: that are neither over- nor underestimates so far as can be judged in which uncertainties are reduced as far as practicable
Objectives of Good Practice Guidance Further aims, to produce inventories which are: transparent documented consistent over time complete comparable assessed for uncertainties subject to quality control and assurance efficient in the use of resources
Key concepts of Good Practice Guidance Complements and is consistent with the Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines. Same definitions of specific source categories Same functional forms for the equations Correction of any errors or deficiencies that have been identified
Structure of the report Preface Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Energy Chapter 3 Industrial Processes Chapter 4 Agriculture Chapter 5 Waste Chapter 6 Quantifying Uncertainties in Practice Chapter 7 Methodological Choice and Recalculation Chapter 8 Quality Assurance and Quality Control Annex 1 Conceptual Basis for Uncertainty Analysis Annex 2 Verification Annex 3 Glossary Annex 4 List of Participants Source category good practice guidance
Source category specific good practice guidance Methodological issues Choice of method (which “tier”) Choice of emission factors Choice of activity data Ensuring complete estimates Ensuring consistency throughout the time series Quantifying uncertainty default values for uncertainty ranges
Source category specific good practice guidance Reporting and documentation What information is necessary for the specific source category Inventory quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) Particular aspects of source category estimates
Quantifying Uncertainties in Practice Guidance on determining combining reporting uncertainty ranges from empirical data and expert judgment
Methodological Choice and Recalculation Identification of Key Source Categories “A key source category is one that is prioritised within the national inventory system because its estimate has a significant influence on a country’s total inventory of greenhouse gases in terms of the absolute level of emissions, the trend in emissions, or both.”
Methodological Choice and Recalculation How to identify key source categories Quantitative approaches Level Assessment Trend Assessment Taking uncertainties into account (Tier 2) Qualitative criteria mitigation technologies high expected growth high uncertainty unexpectedly high or low emissions
Quality Assurance and Quality Control General QA/QC activities for all source categories Source category QA/QC activities as Tier 2 (primarily for key source categories)
Annexes Annex 1 : the statistical theory of uncertainties that underlies the practical advice provided in the main chapters Annex 2 : international and scientific aspects of inventory verification Annex 3 : glossary
Conclusions IPCC Guidelines and GPG Methodologies and framework for inventory preparation aims to facilitate the production of unbiased, transparent, accurate and well-documented inventories GPG applies to all method levels - not just “highest” tier GPG sets a high standard for quality, but recognizes that resources are limited Provides information on setting priorities, focused on key source categories and choice of method and QA/QC
Conclusions National circumstances vary - national and regional input important (IPCC guidelines contain default values but do not cover all regions/countries and categories) Improvement of inventory methodologies, activity data and emission factors is continuos work - on national, regional and global scale
Future - Further Development The report on Good Practice Guidance for LULUCF is now being developed. (To be completed by the end of 2003, and will be submitted to COP9) Revision of the Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines - the project will be initiated this year with a view to completion by early 2006. (As invited by SBSTA17.)
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