IPCC Good Practices Guidance and the IPCC Good Practices Guidance and the electronic reporting of GHG inventory electronic reporting of GHG inventory

tables: useful tools tables: useful tools for improving the quality of national GHG for improving the quality of national GHG

inventories of non-Annex I Partiesinventories of non-Annex I Parties

UNFCCC Workshop on the use of the UNFCCC Workshop on the use of the Guidelines for the Preparation of National Guidelines for the Preparation of National Communications from non-Annex I PartiesCommunications from non-Annex I Parties

Roberto AcostaUNFCCC secretariatRacosta@unfccc.int

Port Louis, Mauritius, 8-11 April 2003

GHG inventories of non-Annex I Parties (I)

99 Parties used the UNFCCC guidelines of decision 10/CP.2 adopted by COP 2 in 1996 to prepare their national GHG inventories in their NC.

Approximately 80 Parties reported that they used the 1996 IPCC Guidelines for preparing their inventories.

This contributed to report more comprehensive GHG inventory data than the minimum explicit requested by the previous UNFCCC guidelines in Table II.

GHG inventories of non-Annex I Parties (II)

67 Parties (of 83) used the summary table 7A of the 1996 IPCC Guidelines or a modified similar table to report their inventories.

31 Parties also reported the IPCC worksheets providing information on the numerical background data used to prepare their inventories. This contributed to a more complete and transparent reporting.

The reporting of the IPCC summary, sector-specific tables and worksheets is facilitated by the use of the IPCC software.

GHG inventories of non-Annex I Parties (III)

The most common problem/constraint encountered in preparing their inventories were related to the scarcity and quality of activity data and the difficulties for preparing GHG inventories on a continuous basis by stable national teams.

Many Parties reported limitations of the IPCC Guidelines’ methods for estimating GHG emissions and removals in accordance to their national circumstances (in all sectors, but mainly in LUCF sector) and inadequacy of defaults emission factors.

GHG inventories of non-Annex I Parties (IV)

The gaps in activity data and the difficulties to periodically update the national GHG inventories by stable teams is mainly related to the lack of resources.

The gaps of IPCC methods and emission factors are related to the fact that the 1996 guidelines require to be updated.

In addition, these guidelines do not address the national circumstances of non-Annex I Parties to the same extent than the ones of Annex I Parties do.

How to improve the quality of inventories from How to improve the quality of inventories from methodological point of view?methodological point of view?

There are several tools that might contribute to enhance the quality of national inventories without substantially increasing the level of resources needed to prepare them, such as:

• More precise guidance for preparing and reporting;

• Software for electronic reporting;

• Comparison of inventory data across countries with similar

national circumstances

More precise guidance (I)More precise guidance (I)

• IPCC Good Practice Guidance (GPG) supplement positively 1996 IPCC Guidelines.

• It constitutes a step forward for improving the quality of national GHG inventories.

Why can a more precise guidance enhance the quality of inventories?

For preparing inventories:

More precise guidance (II)More precise guidance (II)

• It provides more precise guidance in using methods, including Tier 1;

• It overcomes many 1996 IPCC Guidelines’ gaps;• It provides a tool (key source determination) to prioritize

the use of scarce resources;• It provides simple and useful QA/QC guidance such as

Table 8.1 of the GPG report; and• It might provide inputs for the calculations of GHG

emission reductions in preparing CDM projects.

For preparing inventories (IPCC GPG):

More precise guidance (III)More precise guidance (III)

• UNFCCC guidelines adopted by decision 17/CP. 8 improve the previous UNFCCC guidelines (10/CP. 2)

• The improved guidelines reflect the improvement in reporting GHG inventories by non-Annex I Parties from the 1st submitted NC to the 99th.

• It constitutes a step forward for improving the quality of reporting national GHG inventories.

For reporting inventories (UNFCCC guidelines):

More precise guidance (IV)More precise guidance (IV)

• The UNFCCC guidelines request the use of 1996 IPCC Guidelines

and, among other elements, encourage:

To apply the IPCC GPG;

To provide information on used methods and brief information of the sources of EF and AD;

To use Tables 1 and 2 in reporting their inventories striving to present more complete information (similar to the IPCC table 7A);

To report electronically sector-specific tables and worksheets

Why does more precise guidance contribute Why does more precise guidance contribute to improve the quality of inventories?to improve the quality of inventories?

• Inventory compilers know exactly what information should be prepared and how to prepare it

• Inventory compilers can plan better and in advance the preparation of inventories

The experience of Annex I Parties in reporting inventories using decisions 3/CP. 5, in particular with the electronic reporting of the CRF, demonstrates the benefits of a more precise guidance.

Experience with Annex I Parties (I)Experience with Annex I Parties (I)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Nu

mb

er

of

Part

ies

15 April 15 July 31 December

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

45

CRF submissions in ( )

10(9)

28(28)

20(19)

22(22) 12

21

28(22)

30 (27)

21

28

32(23)

32 (29) 31

(31)

Timeliness

Experience with Annex I Parties (II)Experience with Annex I Parties (II)

2000 (1990-1998)

2001 (1990-1999)

2002 (1990-2000)

Total CRF submissions 23 29 31

CRF for entire time series 5 14 18

CRF for one or more years 12 11 9

Partial CRF for one or more years 6 4 4

National Inventory Reports 8 15 18

Improved Quality of Improved Quality of ReportingReporting

Why does software for electronic Why does software for electronic reporting contribute to improve the quality reporting contribute to improve the quality

of inventory? (I)of inventory? (I)

• IPCC software has facilitated a more complete and transparent reporting of many Parties without additional resources.

• It facilitates the compilation of inventories by national experts (more time available)

Why does software for electronic Why does software for electronic reporting contribute to improve the quality reporting contribute to improve the quality

of inventory? (II)of inventory? (II)

The IPCC software could be used almost straight forward to fulfil the reporting reporting encouragements of the UNFCCC guidelines (table 1 and 2 of the UNFCCC guidelines are very similar to Table 7A of the 1996 IPCC Guidelines)

It allows for reporting sector-specific tables and worksheets almost (which provide useful background data information without extra work)

Why does comparison of inventory data Why does comparison of inventory data across countries contribute to improve quality across countries contribute to improve quality

of inventories?of inventories?

• It facilitates the understanding of the calculations, the identification of mistakes and the + and – aspects of other national inventories;

• It facilitates the training/preparation of experts;

• It facilitates the technical assessment/review of national inventories

Relationship IPCC software - electronic Relationship IPCC software - electronic reporting - comparison of inventory datareporting - comparison of inventory data

• IPCC software facilitates the reporting in electronic format

• Electronic reporting facilitates the processing of GHG inventory data

• Electronic reporting allows for integration of large inventory data in data base and its subsequent processing for data comparison

• It facilitates information sharing by national/regional experts.

What should be done to implement these What should be done to implement these actions?actions?

In a short term:

• Simple modifications of the IPCC software ( to use it to prepare the tables 1 and 2 of the UNFCCC guidelines)

In a longer term:

• Elaborate tools that allow for automated processing and comparison of inventory data across countries (such as locator) that will facilitate the work of national experts.

Final remarks (I)Final remarks (I)

• If resources are available for preparing national communications and their GHG inventories, the new UNFCCC guidelines and the IPCC GPG will facilitate a higher quality preparation and reporting of GHG inventories of non-Annex I Parties

• The use of the IPCC software and the electronic reporting facilitate the preparation and reporting of national GHG inventories without the need of intensive resources

• The electronic reporting and processing of inventory data might also contribute to increase the quality of national inventories.

Final remarks (II)Final remarks (II)

The preparation of better inventories is good for:

• the inventory experts,• the analysis relating to several aspects of climate change at

national level, • the provision of useful inputs for the consideration and

calculations of emission reductions in CDM projects.

Final remarks (III)Final remarks (III)

The practice will convert some of “encourage”of the inventory section of the UNFCCC guidelines in “should/shall”.

This will contribute to prepare and reporting better GHG inventories!!!