First workshop for improving energy statistics in developing countries for effective implementation of the enhanced transparency framework under the Paris Agreement
The GHG Support unit of the Transparency division of the secretariat organized, in collaboration with the United Nations Statistics Division and the International Energy Agency, an initial capacity-building workshop for a developing country in West Africa, entitled “Quality assurance of the national energy information management system and energy statistics”, held from 26 to 28 January 2022. The workshop is the first in a series of three online sessions aimed at testing and validating the approach and tools developed over the past few months to address a critical need identified during previous GHG inventory quality assurance workshops, held since 2018, before making this type of support available to the developing countries that have volunteered (28 so far) for a quality assurance workshop with the secretariat.
In responding to the requests for support received from developing countries for preparing their national GHG inventories using the 2006 IPCC Guidelines, the secretariat seeks to assist them in improving their capacities in relation to the energy sector, since national GHG inventories constitute one of the core components of the information to be communicated under the enhanced transparency framework and energy is a key sector for all countries. According to the latest available data,[1] the energy sector accounts for more than 70 per cent of total global carbon dioxide equivalent GHG emissions.
During the workshop, the GHG Support unit led an in-depth exchange of information with national experts from the developing country, documented findings and formulated recommendations on how best to address weaknesses identified and how to improve and maintain a sustainable national energy information management system. The resulting documented comments and recommendations on strengthening the national energy statistics will help in increasing the quality of the country’s energy data, which will serve as a foundation for improved estimation of national GHG emissions, thus supporting implementation of the enhanced transparency framework.
Following this first workshop and its results, a second workshop will be designed with the aim of providing the national experts with targeted capacity-building on some components of the national energy statistics. Then, at a third workshop, the key recommendations for enhancing the national energy information management system will be summarized, discussed and prioritized in agreement with the country and an energy statistics improvement plan will be elaborated.
For more information, see the GHG Support pages of the UNFCCC website.
[1] UNFCCC database.
Photo credit: EdWhiteImages
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) for operationalizing the enhanced transparency framework under the Paris Agreement (ETF) are contained in decisions 18/CMA.1 and 5/CMA.3. Under the ETF all developed and developing country Parties to the Paris Agreement are 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).
In addition, all Parties are required to prepare their greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories following the MPGs, whereby chapter II of the annex to decision 18/CMA.1 contains provisions for reporting on the following aspects of GHG inventories:
- Definitions
- National circumstances and institutional arrangements
- Methods:
- Methodologies, parameters and data
- Key category analysis
- Time-series consistency and recalculations
- Uncertainty assessment
- Assessment of completeness
- Quality assurance/quality control
- Metrics
- Reporting guidance:
- Information on methods and cross-cutting elements
- Sectors and gases
- Time series
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 there is less difference between the reporting requirements for developed and developing country Parties. Therefore, the enhanced reporting provisions under the Paris Agreement will present a significant challenge for developing country Parties that either have not previously submitted a national GHG inventory or have submitted a national GHG inventory according to reporting requirements that predate the Paris Agreement.
This news article is part of an in-depth series on the key provisions of the MPGs to consider in preparing each chapter of the NID. The first part of the series will address chapter 1, on cross-cutting information, and this article analyses the provisions relevant to sections 1.1–1.3.
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 any potential for flexibility under the mandatory provisions and details additional advice related to each section.
National inventory document – chapter 1: National circumstances, institutional arrangements and cross-cutting information
Section | Relevant provisions of the MPGs | Flexibility provisions | Detailed advice |
| 1.1 Background information on GHG inventories and climate change | No specific provisions | None specified | This section provides country-specific background information on GHG inventories and climate change. Since there are no specific relevant provisions in the MPGs, the Party has flexibility regarding the information to incorporate, such as information on the international treaties the country has ratified; the documents submitted to date as part of those international commitments, such as national communications and biennial update reports; the commitments made under the nationally determined contribution; and the main actions undertaken to address climate change related issues. |
1.2 National circumstances and institutional arrangements | Paragraph 18 of the annex to decision 18/CMA.1: Each Party should implement and maintain national inventory arrangements, including institutional, legal and procedural arrangements for the continued estimation, compilation and timely reporting of national inventory reports Paragraph 19 of the annex to decision 18/CMA.1: Each Party shall report on the functions related to inventory planning, preparation and management | None specified | Robust institutional arrangements that are country-driven are important for the successful elaboration of a GHG inventory. This section should introduce those national institutional arrangements and the procedures associated with the measurement, reporting and verification of national GHG emissions and removals. This should include information regarding the national entity or focal point to the UNFCCC, legal instruments for national GHG inventory institutional arrangements, the inventory preparation process and a description of the roles and responsibilities of each institution and entity involved. Furthermore, the measurement, reporting and verification procedures for the elaboration of the GHG inventory should be presented, such as activity planning, data collection, data quality assessment, emission estimation, report drafting, consultation and validation sessions, and archiving. |
1.3 Methodologies and data sources | Paragraph 20 of the annex to decision 18/CMA.1: Each Party shall use the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (2006 IPCC Guidelines), and shall use any subsequent version or refinement of the IPCC guidelines agreed upon by the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA). Each Party is encouraged to use the 2013 Supplement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories: Wetlands Paragraph 21 of the annex to decision 18/CMA.1: Each Party shall use methods from the 2006 IPCC guidelines referred to in paragraph 20 above. Each Party should make every effort to use a recommended method (tier level) for key categories in accordance with those IPCC guidelines Paragraph 22 of the annex to decision 18/CMA.1: Each Party may use nationally appropriate methodologies if they better reflect its national circumstances and are consistent with the IPCC guidelines referred to in paragraph 20 above. In these cases, each Party shall transparently explain national methods, data and/or parameters selected Paragraph 23 of the annex to decision 18/CMA.1: A Party may be unable to adopt a higher-tier method for a particular key category owing to lack of resources. In such cases, the Party may use a tier 1 approach and shall clearly document why the methodological choice was not in line with the corresponding decision tree in the IPCC guidelines referred to in paragraph 20 above. The Party should prioritize for future improvement any key categories for which the good practice method elaborated in the IPCC guidelines referred to in paragraph 20 above cannot be used Paragraph 24 of the annex to decision 18/CMA.1: Each Party is encouraged to use country-specific and regional emission factors and activity data, where available, or to propose plans to develop them in accordance with the good practice elaborated in the IPCC guidelines referred to in paragraph 20 above Paragraph 28 of decision 5/CMA.3: Parties may use on a voluntary basis the 2019 Refinement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories | Paragraph 48 of the annex to decision 18/CMA.1: Those developing country Parties that need flexibility in the light of their capacities with respect to this provision [regarding reporting seven gases] have the flexibility to instead report at least three gases (carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) as well as any of the additional four gases (hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride and nitrogen trifluoride) that are included in the Party’s nationally determined contribution under Article 4 of the Paris Agreement, are covered by an activity under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement or have been previously reported Summary: Option to report fewer GHGs | The MPGs encourage the use of any subsequent version or refinement of the 2006 IPCC Guidelines agreed upon by the CMA. In the light of this, paragraph 28 of decision 5/CMA.3 notes that Parties may voluntarily use the 2019 Refinement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories for preparing the national GHG inventory. It is therefore important to state in this section the version of the IPCC guidelines from which definitions and methodologies have been adopted. Furthermore, the section can include a description of the common simple methodological approach applied from the relevant IPCC guidelines and the scope regarding gases and sectors of the GHG inventory. Further guidance can be found in volume 1, chapter 1, sections 1.1–1.2, of the 2006 IPCC Guidelines. The section should also include information on the data sources and data providers for each of the GHG inventory sectors, using the guidance provided in volume 1, chapter 2, of the 2006 IPCC Guidelines. |
If you found this information useful, look out for the news article next month on sections 1.4 on key category analysis and 1.5 on quality assurance/quality control procedures of chapter 1 of the NID. Any further technical questions can be posted in the discussion forum of the GHG Help Desk.
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