2019 Refinement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories

 

The development of the Methodology Report to refine the inventory guidelines (2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories), was carried out by the Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (TFI) in accordance with the decision taken at the 44th Session of IPCC in Bangkok, Thailand, in October 2016. The final draft of this Methodology Report titled “2019 Refinement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories” (2019 Refinement) was adopted/accepted by the IPCC at its 49th Session on 12 May 2019.

 

The 26th Meeting of Task Force Bureau (TFB) (28 - 29 August 2014, Ottawa) concluded that:

• The 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (2006 IPCC Guidelines) provide a technically sound methodological basis of national greenhouse gas inventories, and therefore fundamental revision is unnecessary.
• To maintain the scientific validity of the 2006 IPCC Guidelines, certain refinements may be required, taking into account scientific and other technical advances that have matured sufficiently since 2006.

 

Following these conclusions by the TFB and approval by the IPCC at its 40th Session, the TFI started a technical assessment of IPCC Inventory Guidelines through an on-line questionnaire survey and four expert meetings in 2015 and 2016. The Co-Chairs' summaries of these four meetings can be found below in Documents section. The technical assessment revealed that there has been abundant new scientific and empirical knowledge published since 2006 which the IPCC should take into account, particularly with respect to data for emission factor development for some categories and gases. Consequently, the necessity and usefulness of refining the current methodological guidance (e.g. updating default emission factors) has been recognized by TFB. Such refinement will help all UNFCCC Parties use good practice inventory methodologies based on up-to-date scientific knowledge.

 

Based on the decision of the IPCC at its 43rd session in April 2016, a Scoping Meeting was held to prepare an outline of the Methodology Report to refine the 2006 IPCC Guidelines.

 

The conclusions of this Scoping Meeting were submitted to the IPCC for consideration at its 44th Session. At this session, IPCC decided (Decision IPCC/XLIV-5) to prepare a Methodology Report with the following title and format:

• The format should be one single Methodology Report comprising an Overview Chapter and five volumes following the format of the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (2006 IPCC Guidelines).
• The title of the Methodology Report should be “2019 Refinement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories”.
• Decision includes also Draft Table of Contents (TOC) and "Terms of Reference for the production of a Methodology Report to refine the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories" (TOR).

 

Its overall aim is to provide an updated and sound scientific basis for supporting the preparation and continuous improvement of national GHG inventories.

 

The 2019 Refinement will not revise the 2006 IPCC Guidelines, but update, supplement and/or elaborate the 2006 IPCC Guidelines where gaps or out-of-date science have been identified. It will not replace the 2006 IPCC Guidelines. It should be used in conjunction with the 2006 IPCC Guidelines.

 

Among 328 nominations received from governments, observer organizations and Bureau members, 190 experts were selected as Authors and Review Editors by the TFB in accordance with the Principles Governing IPCC Work. After that, the list of authors has been slightly changed because of declination of some authors. The latest list of Authors and Review Editors is available below.

 

The authors started drafting the 2019 Refinement at the first Lead Author Meeting in June 2017 in Bilbao, Spain. The final draft was adopted/accepted by the IPCC at its 49th Plenary Session on 12 May 2019.

 

 

Documents

 

• IPCC Expert Meeting for Technical Assessment of IPCC Inventory Guidelines (Energy, IPPU, Waste Sectors), Geneva, Switzerland, 29 June – 1 July 2015, Co-Chairs’ Summary

• IPCC Expert Meeting for Technical Assessment of IPCC Inventory Guidelines (AFOLU Sector), São Paulo, Brazil, 13 – 16 July 2015, Co-Chairs’ Summary

• IPCC Expert Meeting for Technical Assessment of IPCC Inventory Guidelines: follow-up on specified issues from the 2015 expert meetings, Wollongong, Australia, 25 – 26 April 2016, Co-Chairs’ Summary

• IPCC Expert Meeting for Technical Assessment of IPCC Inventory Guidelines (Cross-sectoral issues), Wollongong, Australia, 27 – 29 April 2016, Co-Chairs’ Summary

• Report of IPCC Scoping Meeting for a Methodology Report(s) to refine the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories

• Decision IPCC/XLIII-8. Update of methodologies on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories

• Decision IPCC/XLIV-5. Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) Products, Outline of the Methodology Report(s) to refine the 2006 Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories
• List of selected Authors and Review Editors (containing 190 experts)
• List of selected Authors and Review Editors as of 15 March 2019 (containing 187 experts)
• Statistics on the nomination and selection of authors

 

 

Timeline

 

2019 Refinement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories
1st Lead Author Meeting (LAM1)	7-9 & 12-14 Jun 2017
2nd Lead Author Meeting (LAM2)	25-28 Sep 2017
First Order Draft (FOD) Expert Review	4 Dec 2017 – 11 Feb 2018
3rd Lead Author Meeting (LAM3)	10-13 Apr 2018
Literature cut-off date*	25 Jun 2018
Second Order Draft (SOD) Government/Expert Review	2 Jul – 9 Sep 2018
4th Lead Author Meeting (LAM4)	22-26 Oct 2018
Final Draft (FD) Government Review	28 Jan – 25 Mar 2019
IPCC Panel Adoption/Acceptance	8-12 May 2019

 

* As to peer-reviewed papers, those accepted by the journals by 25 June 2018, even if not yet published, could be used in the 2019 Refinement. As to non-peer-reviewed documents, those made publicly available by 25 June 2018 could be used.