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Topic D3. Database development of IPCC
emission factors and activity data for wetlands
Randy Kolka and Louis Verchot
Topic D3. Slide 2 of 21
IPCC guidelines for national
GHG inventories

IPCC Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories
(TFI) produces guidelines on compiling estimates of national
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and removals in a
standardized way to ensure transparency, accuracy,
completeness, consistency and comparability between
countries

The IPCC Guidelines are intended to be used by all Parties to
the UNFCCC

•
They provide default data and methods
•
They allow the use of more sophisticated methods if
countries wish to use them and they are consistent
with the guidelines
The IPCC has developed guidance on emission factors and
activity data to help countries account for the greenhouse
gas inventories/
Topic D3. Slide 3 of 21
Basic approach for GHG accounting

Select approach based on available data
•
A simple first order approach that uses spatially coarse default
data based on globally available data characterized by large
uncertainties and sometimes with methods involving several
simplifying assumptions
•
A more accurate approach substituting country or region
specific values for the general defaults and more disaggregated
activity data characterized by relatively smaller uncertainties
•
Higher order methods involving detailed modeling and/or
inventory measurement systems driven by data at a greater
resolution that provide estimates with lower uncertainties than
the previous two methods

Assess changes in land management or land use – Landbased or activity data-based accounting

Apply emission factors (database)
Topic D3. Slide 4 of 21
Definitions

Emission factor: An emission factor is the rate of emission
per unit of activity, output or input.

Land-based accounting: Assess carbon stock change in
applicable carbon pools on land units subject to Kyoto
activities. Implementing land-based accounting involves first
identifying land units on which applicable activities occur.

Activity data-based accounting: Assess carbon stock change
attributable to designated LULUCF activities. First, each
applicable activity's impact on carbon stocks is determined
per unit area. This impact is multiplied by the area on which
each activity occurs.

IPCC only considers changes to managed systems, not
unmanaged systems that might be changing as a result of
natural or anthropogenic causes.
Topic D3. Slide 5 of 21
Developing emission factors
Stock-change approach
Flux difference approach
Topic D3. Slide 6 of 21
Emission Factor Data Base

A recognized library, where users can find emission factors and
other parameters with background documentation or technical
references that can be used for estimating greenhouse gas (CO2,
CH4 and N2O) emissions and removals.

http://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/EFDB/main.php

Broken down by:
•
activity data (e.g. conversion of wetland to grassland)
•
ecosystem (e.g. forest vs grasslands)
•
geography/climate (e.g. tropical vs temperate)
•
soil type (e.g. mineral vs organic)
•
emissions from fire, and others.

When there is enough data in the literature to support an emission
factor

Needs periodic updating as the scientific literature emerges.
Topic D3. Slide 7 of 21
Tracking changes in carbon & nitrogen pools
Topic D3. Slide 8 of 21
Tracking land-use data

Countries use methods including census, surveys and remote
sensing to obtain land-use area data.

Assessments over multiple years allows changes in land-use (or
activity) to be detected.
Topic D3. Slide 9 of 21
Tracking land-use and activity data
Final Land Areas
Forest Land (unmanaged)
12
Forest Land (managed, rain forest)
Forest Land (managed, peat bog)
Forest land (Mangrove)
Forest Land (managed, plantation)
Grassland
Cropland
Wetlands
Settlements
Other Land
12
Initial area
Net change
0
43
6
61
10
1
17
1
29
1
1
1
5
1
55
-12
1
8
-2
61
0
18
11
2
29
0
2
1
5
0
2
2
2
2
0
Final Area
Other Land
Settlements
Wetlands
Cropland
Grassland
Forest Land (managed,
plantation)
Forest land (Mangrove)
Forest Land (managed,
peat bog)
Forest Land (managed, rain
forest)
Forest Land (unmanaged)
Initial Land Areas
12
43
6
61
29
29
3
5
4
2
Topic D3. Slide 10 of 21
Reporting GHG emissions
ha/y
x
ton/ha
=
ton/y
Topic D3. Slide 11 of 21
Specific guidance For wetlands
Forest land
• All woody vegetation according to national definitions
Cropland
• Crops including rice and agroforestry not included above
Grassland
• All rangelands and pastures not included above
Settlements
Wetlands
• Wetlands not included above (peat use and flooded lands)
Other Lands
• Includes bare soil, rock, ice and lands not included above
Topic D3. Slide 12 of 21
Specific guidance for wetlands

Wetlands (as a reporting category) include any land
that is covered or saturated by water for all or part of
the year.

Guidance is restricted to managed wetlands where
the water table is artificially changed or wetlands are
created through human activity (e.g. damming a
river and reservoirs)

Emissions from unmanaged wetlands such as natural
rivers and lakes are not reported
Topic D3. Slide 13 of 21
IPCC guide for wetlands - 2006
Topic D3. Slide 14 of 21
Bonn IPCC meeting 2011

Identified the limitations of the
IPCC 2006 for GHGs National
Inventory

Invited IPCC to hold an expert
meeting to “explore the need to
clarify methodological issues
related to...wetlands…

Led to the development of the
“Wetland Supplement”

90 authors from 32 countries
Topic D3. Slide 15 of 21
2013 Supplement to the 2006 IPCC guidelines for
national greenhouse gas inventories: Wetlands
Topic D3. Slide 16 of 21
Decision Tree For
Guidance within The
Wetlands
Supplement or the
2006 IPCC Guidelines
Topic D3. Slide 17 of 21
Hypothetical example – Tropical peatlands
Topic D3. Slide 18 of 21
Carbon-CO2 Emission factors for tropical peatlands
Topic D3. Slide 19 of 21
C-CO2 Emissions From Managed and Converted
Tropical Peatlands
Topic D3. Slide 20 of 21
References
[IPCC] Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Emission factor database. http://www.ipccnggip.iges.or.jp/EFDB/main.php
[IPCC] Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 2006. Guidelines for National Greenhouse
Gas Inventories Volume 4: Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Landuse. Paris: OECD.
Hiraishi T, Krug T, Tanabe K, Srivastava N, Baasansuren J, Fukuda M, and Troxler, T. (eds). 2013.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Supplement to the 2006 Guidelines for
National Greenhouse Gas Inventories: Wetlands. Switzerland: Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change.
Thank you
The Sustainable Wetlands Adaptation and Mitigation Program (SWAMP) is a collaborative effort by CIFOR, the USDA Forest Service, and the
Oregon State University with support from USAID.
How to cite this file
Kolka R. and Verchot L. 2015. IPCC emissions factors and activity data for wetlands [PowerPoint presentation]. In: SWAMP toolbox: Theme D
section D3. Retrieved from <www.cifor.org/swamp-toolbox>.
Photo credit
Aam Gynch/CIFOR, Aulia Erlangga/CIFOR, James Maiden/CIFOR, Kate Evans/CIFOR, Neil Palmer/CIAT, Ollivier Girard/CIFOR, Randy
Kolka/CIFOR, Ricky Martin/bOBO , Sigit D.Sasmito/CIFOR