This is a part I of a blog series - A Primer on 2006 IPCC Guidelines for Emission Inventories. 

Introduction

Formed in 1988, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an organisation of countries that are members of the United Nations. The objective of IPCC is to research and disseminate scientific information on climate change through comprehensive reports and analysis. This information is useful to governments to prepare climate related policies and is also a key input for climate negotiations. Besides this, it has also prepared a range of other special reports and technical papers, in response to requests for information on specific scientific and technical matters from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (2006 Guidelines) is one such set of guidelines created at the invitation of UNFCCC. 

The 2006 IPCC guidelines are an updated version of the  1996 IPCC guidelines. These guidelines form the foundational reference for all greenhouse gas measurements, reporting and verification. The guidelines are divided into five volumes, each volume based on the four emission source categories viz, Energy, Industrial Processes and Product Use (IPPU), Agriculture, Forest and Other Land Use (AFOLU) and Waste and the first volume gives general guidance on data collection, calculations and reporting guidance. In 2019, a refinement of the 2006 IPCC guidelines was released which does not change the guidelines but rather updates and supplements the gaps in the 2006 IPCC guidelines. 

What are GHG Inventories and MRV Systems?

Before understanding the purpose of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) inventories, it is important to understand what GHG inventories are. Under the UNFCCC mandate, the member countries (or signing parties) are obligated to communicate relevant national information pertaining to the Paris agreement. This includes but is not limited to emissions and removals of GHG. In regard to that, member countries are mandated to measure the emissions and sinks of the country annually (Measurement). The measurements are then communicated in the form of a GHG inventory report consisting of ‘standard reporting tables and covering all relevant gases, categories and years, and a written report that documents the methodologies and data used to prepare the estimates.’ 

These reports are helpful for a country to document the emission sources and thereby carve out policies and strategize actions to mitigate climate change. On a global level, it allows transparency, accountability and uniformity which helps in tracking progress against a standard and adjusting efforts in climate action on a national as well as international level. These inventories as a part of the National Communications and Biennial Update Reports (BUR) are prepared as per the framework of MRV system (Reporting) and submitted every four years.  The submitted reports are then verified through international consultation and analysis of BURs at an international level (Verification). This forms the Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) System. 

This blog series will delve into the five volumes, the 2019 refinement as well as discuss the limitations of the process. In the next blog post, we explain and summarise Volume 1 of the 2006 Guidelines; General Guidance and Reporting.  

Cover Photo by Tim van der Kuip on Unsplash