Learnings from GHG Inventories of WGIA Countries
As measures are undertaken to improve national GHG inventories according to the Enhanced Transparency Framework of the Paris Agreement, learnings from other countries can contribute towards effective reporting, writes Arun Prakash
The annual Workshop on Greenhouse Gas Inventories in Asia (WGIA) has been organized since 2003 by the Ministry of the Environment of Japan and the National Institute for Environmental Studies. The workshop supports countries in the region in improving the accuracy of their GHG inventories and facilitates in building a regional network of experts. Now in its 21st edition, WGIA compromises of 15 member nations: Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam. India has been a part of all the workshops.
The 21st workshop, organized from July 9 - 12, 2024 in Putrajaya, Malaysia saw nearly 90 participants from government departments, global research organizations and multilateral development agencies. I, as a representative of CII Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development had the honour of attending this important session along with Amardeep Raju, Sc ‘E’, MoEFCC; Gulfran Beig, Chair Professor, National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) and Chitransh Dua, Consultant, MoEFCC.
The workshop focused on enhancing capacity for transparency and strengthening the network of Asian countries. It also aimed at supporting WGIA member countries in making and submitting their BTR in a timely manner. Through the ‘Mutual Learning’ sessions, participants got fresh perspective in improving inventories by learning from other countries’ inventories. The Plenary Sessions enabled exchange of information on inventory-related issues, reporting member countries' progress made in the latest BUR including national GHG inventory, and holding discussions on ICA, etc. Hands-on training of ETF reporting tools by UNFCCC was also included in the program this year. In order to prepare for the enhanced transparency framework under the Paris Agreement, a workshop on improving participants’ understanding of the Modalities, Procedures and Guidelines (MPGs) was organized.
Mutual Learning between India and Malaysia
- Knowledge Sharing on GHG Inventories: Attendees shared valuable insights and effective practices related to GHG inventories. The sessions also facilitated learning from peers about different GHG accounting methods and the challenges faced, along with strategies to overcome these challenges.
- Recent Inventories and New Reporting Formats: The workshop explored the new reporting formats introduced by the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) of the Paris Agreement. Participants engaged in discussions on GHG accounting methodologies, emission factor development, and the processes involved in generating accurate data.
- Challenges in Data Collection: India gained insights into Malaysia’s approach to collecting and evaluating GHG emissions data from sectors like glass production. Malaysia’s experience highlighted issues such as data gaps and variability in data quality, emphasizing the need for improved data collection methods.
- National GHG Reporting Process: India learned about Malaysia’s national GHG emissions reporting process, including the role of sectoral working groups and the Technical Working Group (TWG) in data collection and verification. Malaysia’s use of workshops and focused group discussions was noted as a key strategy.
- SF6 Allocation Techniques: Malaysia’s method for allocating SF6 across multiple applications and collecting relevant data provided valuable insights for India, which could enhance its own data collection processes.
- Industrial Data and Voluntary Carbon Markets: Malaysia’s experience with industrial data collection and voluntary carbon programs offered useful lessons for India. The practice of reconciling information from voluntary programs with national inventories was particularly noteworthy for streamlining corresponding adjustments under Article 6.
- ETF GHG Inventory Reporting Tool: A hands-on tool familiarization training session introduced participants to the ETF GHG Inventory Reporting Tool, essential for precise and transparent reporting.
Key Takeaways
CESD, responsible for the IPPU sector GHG inventory in India, explained the basis and the procedure in which the data is requested and accessed. Led by CESD’s example, India recently developed department level SOPs for data collection and compilation.
- Industrial Level Data Gathering and Voluntary Carbon markets: Malaysia's experience with industrial level data gathering and voluntary carbon programs provided valuable insights for India. Malaysia's practice of cross-checking information reported in the voluntary reporting program while developing its national inventory was a key learning point for India. Malaysia is also actively doing the groundwork to reconcile between the carbon projects and those to be accounted in the national inventory. This process will help in streamlining the “corresponding adjustments” related aspects under Article 6.
- Activity Data Collection for MSME Sub-Categories: Malaysia's approach in this area can guide India in improving its data collection process for MSMEs. It is mandatory to report the production data of MSMEs by respective industries to the line departments. This acts as a major source of data for the inventory compilers. India can explore the possibility of having such data transmission structure in an effort to bring the data/ production numbers of Indian MSMEs into GHG reporting mainstream.
The WGIA21 workshop was instrumental in building transparency and strengthening connections within the Asian net-work, offering valuable lessons for improving GHG inventory processes across participating countries.
By
Arun Prakash,
Consultant, CII
