GHG Support Newsletter 10: December 2, 2022

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Ana Pejovic

Programme Officer

News article: Provisions of the modalities, procedures and guidelines for the enhanced transparency framework relating to the national inventory document

Modalities, procedures and guidelines for the enhanced transparency framework

The modalities, procedures and guidelines (MPGs), which operationalize the enhanced transparency framework under the Paris Agreement (ETF), are outlined in decisions 18/CMA.1 and 5/CMA.3. The ETF requires all Parties to the Paris Agreement, both developed countries and developing countries, to submit their first biennial transparency report and national inventory document (NID), if submitted as a stand-alone report, in accordance with the MPGs, by 31 December 2024 at the latest (small island developing States and the least developed countries may submit at their discretion).

GHG inventory information is to be reported in the NID in line with the following structure outlined in annex V to decision 5/CMA.3:

Executive summary
Chapter 1: National circumstances, institutional arrangements and cross-cutting information
Chapter 2: Trends in GHG emissions and removals
Chapter 3: Energy (common reporting table (CRT) sector 1)
Chapter 4: Industrial processes and product use (CRT sector 2)
Chapter 5: Agriculture (CRT sector 3)
Chapter 6: Land use, land-use change and forestry (CRT sector 4)
Chapter 7: Waste (CRT sector 5)
Chapter 8: Other (CRT sector 6) (if applicable)
Chapter 9: Indirect carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide emissions (related to non-mandatory provisions as per para. 52 of the MPGs)
Chapter 10: Recalculations and improvements
Annexes to the NID
References

Under the ETF, the differences between the reporting requirements for developed and developing country Parties are diluted. The enhanced reporting provisions under the Paris Agreement will therefore present substantial obstacles to developing country Parties that either have not previously submitted a national GHG inventory or have submitted a national GHG inventory in accordance with reporting requirements that predate the Paris Agreement.

This newsletter is part of an in-depth series on the key provisions of the MPGs to be considered by Parties when preparing each chapter of the NID. The first part of this series addressed sections 1.6 and 1.7 of chapter 1 of the NID. This part analyses the MPG provisions for sections 1.8 and 1.9 of chapter 1.

The analysis is provided in the table below, which specifies the provisions of the MPGs corresponding to each section, distinguishes between mandatory and voluntary reporting, highlights the flexibility options for the mandatory provisions and provides detailed advice related to each section.

National inventory document – Chapter 1: National circumstances, institutional arrangements and cross-cutting information

Section	MPG provisions	Flexibility provisions	Detailed advice
1.8 Metrics	Decision 18/CMA.1, annex, paragraph 37 – Each Party shall use the 100-year time-horizon global warming potential (GWP) values from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report, or 100-year time-horizon GWP values from a subsequent IPCC assessment report as agreed upon by the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement, to report aggregate emissions and removals of GHGs, expressed in carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂ eq). Each Party may in addition also use other metrics (e.g., global temperature potential) to report supplemental information on aggregate emissions and removals of GHGs, expressed in CO₂ eq. In such cases, the Party shall provide in the NID information on the values of the metrics used and the IPCC assessment report they were sourced from. Paragraph 25 of decision 5/CMA.3 – Clarifies that the 100-year time-horizon GWP values referred to in decision 18/CMA.1, annex, paragraph 37, shall be those listed in table 8.A.1 of the Fifth Assessment Report of the IPCC, excluding the value for fossil methane.	No specific flexibility provisions in the MPGs.	Parties should include a section in chapter 1 of the NID on the metrics used in the GHG inventory. Each GHG has a different contribution to atmospheric warming as a function of: Its ability to absorb energy (radiative forcing); The period over which it remains in the atmosphere (lifetime). Therefore, to sum and compare emission estimates of different gases when compiling GHG inventories, it is necessary to use a common unit of measure. The GWP was developed to allow comparison of the global warming impacts of different GHGs and to provide a common unit of measure, namely, CO₂ eq. The GWP compares the globally averaged relative radiative forcing of one tonne of a GHG emitted to the atmosphere over a given time period, typically 100 years, relative to the globally averaged relative radiative forcing of one tonne of carbon dioxide (CO₂). The IPCC determines the state of knowledge on climate change and regularly updates the GWP values according to new scientific studies. The GWPs are published in the Assessment Reports of the IPCC. Parties should therefore clearly state which IPCC Assessment Report, and related GWP values, are implemented in their GHG inventories, which should preferably be the GWP values from Table 8.A.1 of the Fifth Assessment Report.
1.9 Summary of applied flexibility	Decision 18/CMA.1, annex, paragraph 6 – The application of a flexibility provided for in the provisions of these MPGs for those developing country Parties that need it in the light of their capacities is to be self-determined. The developing country Party shall clearly indicate the provision to which flexibility is applied, concisely clarify capacity constraints, noting that some constraints may be relevant to several provisions, and provide self-determined estimated time frames for improvements in relation to those capacity constraints.		The MPGs provide flexibility to those countries that require it in the light of their capacities, in particular to the least developed countries and small island developing States. The MPGs specify the flexibility available for specific provisions in areas such as scope, frequency and level of reporting. Parties are required to self-determine the areas for which they require flexibility considering their capacities. Flexibility is therefore not applicable to all countries, and not automatically applicable to every transparency requirement. Developing country Parties that determine the need for flexibility are required to clearly report the information on specific flexibility provisions applied in the GHG inventory. This information can either be reported in a separate section of chapter1 of the NID or be integrated into the sectoral chapters relevant to where specific flexibility provisions have been applied.

Section

MPG provisions

Flexibility provisions

Detailed advice

1.8 Metrics

Decision 18/CMA.1, annex, paragraph 37 – Each Party shall use the 100-year time-horizon global warming potential (GWP) values from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report, or 100-year time-horizon GWP values from a subsequent IPCC assessment report as agreed upon by the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement, to report aggregate emissions and removals of GHGs, expressed in carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂ eq). Each Party may in addition also use other metrics (e.g., global temperature potential) to report supplemental information on aggregate emissions and removals of GHGs, expressed in CO₂ eq. In such cases, the Party shall provide in the NID information on the values of the metrics used and the IPCC assessment report they were sourced from.

Paragraph 25 of decision 5/CMA.3 – Clarifies that the 100-year time-horizon GWP values referred to in decision 18/CMA.1, annex, paragraph 37, shall be those listed in table 8.A.1 of the Fifth Assessment Report of the IPCC, excluding the value for fossil methane.

No specific flexibility provisions in the MPGs.

Parties should include a section in chapter 1 of the NID on the metrics used in the GHG inventory. Each GHG has a different contribution to atmospheric warming as a function of:

Its ability to absorb energy (radiative forcing);
The period over which it remains in the atmosphere (lifetime).

Therefore, to sum and compare emission estimates of different gases when compiling GHG inventories, it is necessary to use a common unit of measure. The GWP was developed to allow comparison of the global warming impacts of different GHGs and to provide a common unit of measure, namely, CO₂ eq. The GWP compares the globally averaged relative radiative forcing of one tonne of a GHG emitted to the atmosphere over a given time period, typically 100 years, relative to the globally averaged relative radiative forcing of one tonne of carbon dioxide (CO₂).

The IPCC determines the state of knowledge on climate change and regularly updates the GWP values according to new scientific studies. The GWPs are published in the Assessment Reports of the IPCC. Parties should therefore clearly state which IPCC Assessment Report, and related GWP values, are implemented in their GHG inventories, which should preferably be the GWP values from Table 8.A.1 of the Fifth Assessment Report.

1.9 Summary of applied flexibility

Decision 18/CMA.1, annex, paragraph 6 – The application of a flexibility provided for in the provisions of these MPGs for those developing country Parties that need it in the light of their capacities is to be self-determined. The developing country Party shall clearly indicate the provision to which flexibility is applied, concisely clarify capacity constraints, noting that some constraints may be relevant to several provisions, and provide self-determined estimated time frames for improvements in relation to those capacity constraints.

The MPGs provide flexibility to those countries that require it in the light of their capacities, in particular to the least developed countries and small island developing States. The MPGs specify the flexibility available for specific provisions in areas such as scope, frequency and level of reporting. Parties are required to self-determine the areas for which they require flexibility considering their capacities. Flexibility is therefore not applicable to all countries, and not automatically applicable to every transparency requirement.

Developing country Parties that determine the need for flexibility are required to clearly report the information on specific flexibility provisions applied in the GHG inventory. This information can either be reported in a separate section of chapter1 of the NID or be integrated into the sectoral chapters relevant to where specific flexibility provisions have been applied.