Greenhouse Gas Emissions Information for Decision Making A Framework Going Forward (2022) / Chapter Skim
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1 Introduction
1 Introduction
Pages 11-24
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. GHG emissions information is being used to plan, track, and assess national, subnational, local, and corporate emissions and emission mitigation efforts, often in the context of GHG reduction targets and pledges.
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We define GHG emissions information in this report to include a compendium of emissions-related information content beyond what is often traditionally included in most GHG inventories. GHG emissions information, therefore, might include data used to calculate emissions, an archive of emission factors, or additional attributes of emitters such as ownership, spatial extent, technological characteristics, and other factors such as sociodemographics.
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• To the extent possible, identify ways to improve methodological transparency, sustainability and continuity of relevant observations, and product confidence in global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions inventories, including key data gaps that could be addressed, improvements needed in models and analytical tools, and opportunities for collaboration among data provid ers, researchers, regulatory agencies, and decision makers. FIGURE 1-2 Global net anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG)
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. Emissions inventory: A set of estimates of the amount of pollutants emitted into the atmosphere from major mobile, stationary, area-wide, and natural source categories over a specific time period. GHG emissions information: Includes a large collection of information content, including but not limited to emissions inventories.
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Defining Anthropogenic Greenhouse Gases for This Study The most significant anthropogenic contributions to present-day temperature forcing are the major well-mixed gases (CO2, CH4, N2O, fluorinated gases) , which account for about 82 percent of present-day warming, or 1.49°C (0.87–2.45°C)
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Further consideration of shorter-lived forcers in GHG emissions information may be needed. Additional gases, particles, or indirect GHGs -- for example, hydrogen, which can increase concentrations of other GHGs -- may also warrant consideration in future GHG inventories if there are sufficient human-related emissions.
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While it is well recognized that understanding natural GHG emission sources and sinks (i.e., not managed by humans) in the land biosphere and oceans is essential to quantifying net emissions, the Committee has limited its focus to anthropogenic emissions (defined in Box 1-2)
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SOURCE: IPCC, 2021. Defining Greenhouse Gas Emissions Information Scales for This Study The development of GHG emissions information has occurred at many different scales including global, national, regional, urban, and facility spatial scales and annual to hourly temporal scales, discussed below.
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but characterized by different physiochemical proper ties and environmental effects. User and Decision-Maker Needs for Greenhouse Gas Emissions Information Across Scales Historically, the need for GHG emissions information began at the global and national scales as a necessary ingredient in the international policy-making process.
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, the outcome of the early GHG inventory efforts has provided methodological foundations to the emission calculations and approaches suggested in IPCC guidelines and is increasingly needed as both alternative and complementary information to the UNFCCC process. At a national level, decision makers need national quantification of GHG emissions and removals to understand their national GHG landscape, plan mitigation targets and actions, and place their national budgets within the global context to make measurable progress on limiting climate change.1 In addition, various nongovernmental organizations, the media, think tanks, the business community, and others have long used and archived national GHG emissions information to track progress and maximize emissions transparency (Yona et al., 2020)
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, subnational governments have discretion in the ways that they both estimate and report GHG emissions. Facility and Corporate Scales The facility or individual business scale has also emerged as an important consumer of GHG emissions information, often because of corporate energy transition strategies and project financing related to climate impacts in alignment with the Paris Agreement.
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• Trust: Users need to find the GHG emissions information trustworthy. With competing estimates and lots of political and financial interests involved in emissions analyses, there can be a lack of trust or at least suspicion that can create missed opportunities.
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The first meeting was held on June 2, 2022, hosted by the National Academies' Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, on Greenhouse Gas Emissions Monitoring, Inventories, and Data Integration: Understanding the Landscape with 12 presentations by scientists from the United States, Canada, and Europe. On June 27–28, 2022, the Committee held a workshop on Development of a Framework for Evaluating Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions Information for Decision Making.
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Chapter 4 develops the framework for evaluating GHG emissions information. The framework includes six "pillars" that serve as criteria to qualitatively assess the extent to which a given information system or inventory performs.
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