11 March 2014

IIASA research underlies IPCC methodology report

How can countries count emissions from land use and land use change? IIASA research underlies a new methodology report for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). 

Slash and Burn forest fire ©Akiyoko74 | Dreamstime.com

Slash and Burn forest fire ©Akiyoko74 | Dreamstime.com

In order to meet their commitments under the Kyoto Protocol agreement on climate change, countries must report their emissions. But this is easier said than done. Emissions must be calculated not only for factories and transportation sectors, but also from wetlands, agriculture, land-use, as well as changes in land use and forestry. These sources are responsible for about 15-20% of human-related greenhouse gas emissions. 

IIASA researchers Fabian Wagner and Hannes Böttcher contributed to the new report, “Revised Supplementary Methods and Good Practice Guidance Arising from the Kyoto Protocol.”  This report provides guidance on how to compile a national inventory of the Land use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) sector when reporting emissions under the Kyoto Protocol during the second commitment period, which runs from 2013 to 2020. 

It provides countries with a step-by-step “cookbook” procedure for collecting data, calculating emissions and presenting data in a format that is consistent with various international accounting rules. 

Wagner and Böttcher served as Lead Authors of the report. Wagner's contribution focused on generic methodological issues, such as selecting the appropriate methodology in different circumstances. Böttcher, now a researcher at the Institute for Applied Ecology in Germany, contributed to the IPCC's recommendation on how to account for afforestation, deforestation and forest management practices. 

The report was released concurrently with a second methodology report related to wetlands, and how to account for peatlands and coastal wetlands in calculating greenhouse gas emissions. For more information on both reports, read the IPCC press release: IPCC publishes two Methodology Reports.


Print this page

Last edited: 11 March 2014

CONTACT DETAILS

Fabian Wagner

Principal Research Scholar Pollution Management Research Group - Energy, Climate, and Environment Program

Principal Research Scholar Transformative Institutional and Social Solutions Research Group - Energy, Climate, and Environment Program

CDAT Dean and Principal Research Scholar Capacity Development and Academic Training Unit

IIASA and the IPCC

Read more about IIASA's contributions in the field of climate research.

International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
Schlossplatz 1, A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria
Phone: (+43 2236) 807 0 Fax:(+43 2236) 71 313