Uncertainties in the Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR) emission inventory of greenhouse gases

Abstract. The Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR) estimates the human-induced emission rates on Earth. EDGAR collaborates with atmospheric modelling activities and aids policy in the design of mitigation strategies and in evaluating their effectiveness. In these applications, the uncertainty estimate is an essential component, as it quantifies the accuracy and qualifies the level of confidence in the emission. This study complements the EDGAR emissions inventory by providing an estimation of the structural uncertainty stemming from its base components (activity data, AD, statistics and emission factors, EFs) by (i) associating uncertainty to each AD and EF characterizing the emissions of the three main greenhouse gases (GHGs), namely carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O); (ii) combining them; and (iii) making assumptions regarding the cross-country uncertainty aggregation of source categories. It was deemed a natural choice to obtain the uncertainties in EFs and AD statistics from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines issued in 2006 (with a few exceptions), as the EF and AD sources and methodological aspects used by EDGAR have been built over the years based on the IPCC recommendations, which assured consistency in time and comparability across countries. On the one hand, the homogeneity of the method is one of the key strengths of EDGAR, on the other hand, it facilitates the propagation of uncertainties when similar emission sources are aggregated. For this reason, this study aims primarily at addressing the aggregation of uncertainties' sectorial emissions across GHGs and countries. Globally, we find that the anthropogenic emissions covered by EDGAR for the combined three main GHGs for the year 2015 are accurate within an interval of −15 % to +20 % (defining the 95 % confidence of a log-normal distribution). The most uncertain emissions are those related to N2O from waste and agriculture, while CO2 emissions, although responsible for 74 % of the total GHG emissions, account for approximately 11 % of global uncertainty share. The sensitivity to methodological choices is also discussed.

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Uncertainties in the EDGAR emission inventory of greenhouse gases

10.5194/acp-2020-1102 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Efisio Solazzo ◽

Monica Crippa ◽

Diego Guizzardi ◽

Marilena Muntean ◽

Margarita Choulga ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Greenhouse Gases ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Mitigation Strategies ◽

Emission Rates ◽

Intergovernmental Panel ◽

Activity Data ◽

Emissions Inventory ◽

Methodological Choices ◽

Ch4 And N2o ◽

Log Normal

Abstract. The Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR) estimates the human-induced emission rates on Earth collaborating with atmospheric modelling activities as well as aiding policy in the design of mitigation strategies and in evaluating their effectiveness. In these applications, the uncertainty estimate is an essential component as it quantifies the accuracy and qualifies the level of confidence in the emission. This study complements the EDGAR's emissions inventory with estimation of the structural uncertainty stemming from its base components (activity data statistics (AD) and emission factors (EF)) by i) associating uncertainty to each AD and EF characterizing the emissions of the three main greenhouse gases (GHG) CO2, CH4 and N2O; ii) combining them, and iii) making assumptions for the cross-country uncertainty aggregation of source categories. It was deemed a natural choice to obtain the uncertainties in EFs and AD from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines issued in 2006 (with a few exceptions), since the EF and AD sources and methodological aspects used by EDGAR have been built over the years based on the IPCC recommendations, which assured consistency in time and comparability across countries. While on one side the homogeneity of the method is one of the key strengths of EDGAR, on the other side it facilitates the propagation of uncertainties when similar emission sources are aggregated. For this reason, this study aims primarily at addressing the aggregation of uncertainties sectorial emissions across GHGs and countries. On global average we find that the anthropogenic emissions of the combined three main GHGs for the year 2015 are accurate within an interval of −15 % to +20 % (defining the 95 % confidence of a log-normal distribution). The most uncertain emissions are those related to N2O from agriculture, while CO2 emissions, although responsible for 74 % of total GHG emissions, accounts for and for approximately 11 % of global uncertainty share. Sensitivity to methodological choices is also discussed.

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Greenhouse gas emissions profiles of neighbourhoods in Durban, South Africa – an initial investigation

Environment and Urbanization ◽

10.1177/0956247817713471 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 191-214 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Meryl Jagarnath ◽

Tirusha Thambiran

Keyword(s):

Greenhouse Gas ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Mitigation Strategies ◽

Low Carbon ◽

Economic Activities ◽

Emissions Inventory ◽

High Emission ◽

Development Goals ◽

Reduce Emissions ◽

The City

Because current emissions accounting approaches focus on an entire city, cities are often considered to be large emitters of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with no attention to the variation within them. This makes it more difficult to identify climate change mitigation strategies that can simultaneously reduce emissions and address place-specific development challenges. In response to this gap, a bottom-up emissions inventory study was undertaken to identify high emission zones and development goals for the Durban metropolitan area (eThekwini Municipality). The study is the first attempt at creating a spatially disaggregated emissions inventory for key sectors in Durban. The results indicate that particular groups and economic activities are responsible for more emissions, and socio-spatial development and emission inequalities are found both within the city and within the high emission zone. This is valuable information for the municipality in tailoring mitigation efforts to reduce emissions and address development gaps for low-carbon spatial planning whilst contributing to objectives for social justice.

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Estimation of greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural activities in the Aburra valley Metropolitan Area - Colombia

Revista Facultad Nacional de Agronomía Medellín ◽

10.15446/rfna.v69n1.54746 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 69 (1) ◽

pp. 7783-7792 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Deicy Catalina Guerra Garcia ◽

Jairo Alexander Osorio Saraz ◽

Rolando Barahona Rosales

Keyword(s):

Greenhouse Gases ◽

Metropolitan Area ◽

Agricultural Production ◽

Organic Fertilizers ◽

N2o Emissions ◽

Agricultural Activities ◽

Intergovernmental Panel ◽

Activity Data ◽

Sources Of Uncertainty ◽

Tier 1

The aim of this study was to estimate emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) generated by the agricultural activities carried out in the Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley (AMVA), located in Medellin - Colombia. A TIER 1 approach of the methodology of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC was followed. Emissions of GHG from cropland, aggregate sources and non-CO2 emissions from land were estimated and analysis of the uncertainty of activity data and emission factors were made. The estimated total emission was 63.1 and 66 Gg CO2 eq for 2009 and 2011, respectively. The greatest contribution to greenhouse gases in agricultural production was the application of nitrogen to soils in the form of synthetic and organic fertilizers, which was associated with direct and indirect N2O emissions. The main sources of uncertainty were those derived from the activity data.

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Estimation of Greenhouse Gases Emission from Road Transportation in Yogyakarta City

MATEC Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/matecconf/201928002003 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 280 ◽

pp. 02003

Author(s):

Qorry Nugrahayu ◽

Raditya Firmansyah

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Greenhouse Gases ◽

Nitrogen Dioxide ◽

Road Transportation ◽

Intergovernmental Panel ◽

Activity Data ◽

Greenhouse Gases Emissions ◽

Transportation Sector ◽

Tier 1 ◽

Yogyakarta City

The use of vehicles in Yogyakarta City is quite a lot. Fuelcombustion in the vehicle produces some greenhouse gases emissions suchas Carbon Dioxide, Methane, and Nitrogen Dioxide. This causes thetransportation sector to become one of the largest greenhouse gasesemission contributors. This research is aimed to calculate the greenhousegases emission (Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen Dioxide, and Methane) from theroad transportation sector in Yogyakarta City using IPCC(Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) Tier 1 and activity data in2015. The result of this research showed that the greenhouse gasesemissions produced in Yogyakarta City for the gasoline fuel and the dieselfuel in 2015 are 236.061 Gg CO2eq /year and 31.807 Gg CO2eq /year. These cause the total greenhouse gases emission from the roadtransportation sector in Yogyakarta City to become 267.868 Gg CO2 eq/year.

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The case for long-term studies of greenhouse gas emissions

Environmental Conservation ◽

10.1017/s0376892999000247 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 26 (3) ◽

pp. 166-168 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

TIM NEWCOMB

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Greenhouse Gases ◽

Greenhouse Gas ◽

Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Industrialized Countries ◽

Intergovernmental Panel ◽

Long Term Studies

Many nations have recognized the need to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs). The scientific assessments of climate change of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) support the need to reduce GHG emissions. The 1997 Kyoto Protocol to the 1992 Convention on Climate Change (UNTS 30822) has now been signed by more than 65 countries, although that Protocol has not yet entered into force. Some 14 of the industrialized countries listed in the Protocol face reductions in carbon dioxide emissions of more than 10% compared to projected 1997 carbon dioxide emissions (Najam & Page 1998).

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Study on Life-Cycle Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gases Emission of Battery Electric Passenger Vehicles in China

Distributed Generation & Alternative Energy Journal ◽

10.13052/dgaej2156-3306.3642 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Bo Zhang ◽

Qiang Lu ◽

Zheng Shen ◽

Yaokun Yang ◽

Yunlin Liang

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle ◽

Energy Consumption ◽

Greenhouse Gases ◽

Raw Materials ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Clean Energy ◽

Emission Rates ◽

Total Energy Consumption ◽

Production Stage ◽

Vehicle Production

Based on the localized data of environmental load, this study has established the life cycle assessment (LCA) model of battery electric passenger vehicle (BEPV) that be produced and used in China, and has evaluated the energy consumption and greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission during vehicle production and operation. The results show that the total energy consumption and GHG emissions are 438GJ and 37,100kg (in terms of CO2 equivalent) respectively. The share of GHG emissions in total emissions at the production stage is 24.6%, and 75.4% GHG emissions are contributed by the operational stage. The main source of energy consumption and GHG emissions at vehicle production stage is the extraction and processing of raw materials. The GHG emissions of raw materials production accounts for 75.0% in the GHG emissions of vehicle production and 18.0% in the GHG emissions of full life cycle. The scenario analysis shows that the application of recyclable materials, power grid GHG emission rates and vehicle energy consumption rates have significant influence on the carbon emissions in the life cycle of vehicle. Replacing primary metals with recycled metals can reduce GHG emissions of vehicle production by about 7.3%, and total GHG emissions can be reduced by about 1.8%. For every 1% decrease in GHG emissions per unit of electricity, the GHG emissions of operation stage will decrease by about 0.9%; for every 1.0% decrease in vehicle energy consumption rate, the total GHG emissions decrease by about 0.8%. Therefore, developing clean energy, reducing the proportion of coal power, optimizing the production of raw materials and increasing the application of recyclable materials are effective ways to improve the environmental performance of BEPV.

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Trend Analysis of Taiwan’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the Energy Sector and its Mitigation Strategies and Promotion Actions

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos12070859 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (7) ◽

pp. 859

Author(s):

Wen-Tien Tsai

Keyword(s):

Greenhouse Gas ◽

Trend Analysis ◽

Energy Supply ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Competent Authority ◽

Growth Period ◽

Energy Sector ◽

Sustainability Indicators ◽

Mitigation Strategies ◽

Intergovernmental Panel

The mitigation strategies and actions for mitigating the emission of greenhouse gas (GHG) from the energy sector become more important and urgent. The main aim of this paper was to present a trend analysis of the emissions of GHG from the Taiwan’s energy sector, which was issued by the central competent authority through the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) methodology. The data also complied with the procedures of measurement, reporting and verification. Based on the official database, the statistics on energy supply, energy consumption and GHG emissions will be connected to analyze the trends of environmental and energy sustainability indicators over the past decades. It showed that the trends of the relevant sustainability indicators based on GHG emissions from the energy sector indicated two development stages: the growth period (annually 5.6%) of 1990–2005, and the decoupling period (annually 0.5%) of 2005–2018. This result could be ascribed to the Taiwan government by promulgating some regulatory measures on energy saving improvement and renewable energy supply during this period. It was worthy to note that the installed capacities of photovoltaic (PV) power increased from 888 megawatt (MW) in 2015 to 5817 MW in 2020. These technological, behavioral, managerial and policy advancements are in accordance with global mitigation strategies. Under the authorization of the energy-related regulations, some promotional actions or programs for efficient energy use and renewable electricity supply were also announced to reach the targets of GHG emissions reduction in the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

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Accounting Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Municipal Solid Waste Treatment by Composting: A Case of Study Bolivia

Eng ◽

10.3390/eng2030017 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (3) ◽

pp. 267-277

Author(s):

Magaly Beltran-Siñani ◽

Antonio Gil

Keyword(s):

Greenhouse Gases ◽

Municipal Solid Waste ◽

Solid Waste ◽

Waste Treatment ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Solid Waste Disposal ◽

Intergovernmental Panel ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Composting Process ◽

Solid Waste Treatment

Waste generation is one of the multiple factors affecting the environment and human health that increases directly with growing population and social and economic development. Nowadays, municipal solid waste disposal sites and their management create climate challenges worldwide, with one of the main problems being high biowaste content that has direct repercussions on greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. In Bolivia, as in the most developing countries, dumps are the main disposal sites for solid waste. These places usually are non-engineered and poorly implemented due to social, technical, institutional and financial limitations. Composting plants for treatment of biowaste appear as an alternative solution to the problem. Some Bolivian municipalities have implemented pilot projects with successful social results; however, access to the economic and financial resources for this alternative are limited. In order to encourage the composting practice in the other Bolivian municipalities it is necessary to account for the GHG emissions. The aim of the present study compiles and summarizes the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines methodology and some experimental procedures for accounting of the greenhouse gases emissions during the biowaste composting process as an alternative to its deposition in a dump or landfill. The GHG emissions estimation results by open windrow composting process determined in the present study show two scenarios: 38% of reduction when 50% of the biowaste collected in 2019 was composted; and 12% of reduction when 20% of the biowaste was composted.

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Knowledge Management System for tracking of Greenhouse Gases

10.33277/cesare/002.002/01 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 1-6

Keyword(s):

Knowledge Management ◽

Greenhouse Gases ◽

Management System ◽

Data Science ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Document Management ◽

Knowledge Management System ◽

Activity Data ◽

Information Assets ◽

Reporting And Verification

Data science is one of the emerging fields in computer science involving the extracting of insight from information assets for various level of collaboration and decision making. One of the key applications of data science is the solving of the environmental impact of climate change which has significantly affected small islands developing states in the Caribbean and Pacific nations. This paper will discuss the creation of a Knowledge Management System (KMS) as a mechanism for the storage of information in the Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) in Trinidad and Tobago. The primary purpose of the MRV is the tracking of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) this is achieved through the suppliers or stakeholders of data entering the GHG information either from calculations on activity data and/or meters available at the facility areas. This system captures the data and utilizes business intelligence techniques to gain insight into information such as determining reasons for reductions. The KMS is also utilized for data and information such as GHG emissions, document management and workflow processing of the GHG inventory cycle for the country.

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Making sense of methods to audit emissions – various audit methods to estimate dairy production carbon footprint

Advances in Animal Biosciences ◽

10.1017/s2040470013000241 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 4 (s1) ◽

pp. 2-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

D. O'Brien ◽

C. Grainger ◽

L. Shalloo

Keyword(s):

Carbon Footprint ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Dairy Farm ◽

Mitigation Strategies ◽

Policy Framework ◽

Dairy Production ◽

Stocking Rate ◽

Intergovernmental Panel ◽

Dairy Systems ◽

The Impact

A dairy farm greenhouse gas (GHG) model was applied in this study to compare the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) method and the life cycle assessment (LCA) procedure, which are the principal methods for quantifying the carbon footprint of dairy production. The objectives of this paper were to compare the auditing methods in estimating the carbon footprint of grass and confinement dairy systems and to assess the methods in estimating the footprint of grass-based dairy farms varying in cow genetic potential, stocking rate and level of concentrate feeding. The input data used to operate the model was based on published research studies. The results of the study showed that the IPCC and LCA methods ranked the carbon footprint of dairy systems differently. For example, the IPCC method found that the carbon footprint of the confinement dairy system was 8% lower than the grass system, but the LCA results show that the confinement system increased the carbon footprint by 16%. The comparison of grass-based dairy systems, differing in cow genotype, stocking rate and concentrate fed per cow also showed that the methods did not agree on the ranking of dairy systems carbon footprint. The re-ranking of dairy systems carbon footprint occurred because the IPCC method excludes emissions associated with imported goods, for example, concentrate. Thus, it is incorrect to consider only components of the dairy system relevant for policy reporting such as that used by IPCC when estimating the carbon footprint of dairy produce. Instead, holistic approaches, such as LCA, which consider on and off-farm GHG emissions should be used. Therefore, reform of the present policy framework is required to enable quantification of the impact of mitigation strategies on global emissions. The evaluation of the carbon footprint from grass-based systems differing in cow genotype also demonstrated that selecting cows solely for milk production will increase the carbon footprint of grass-based dairy systems relative to cows selected on a combination of traits, because of reduced cow fertility and thus higher emissions from replacement heifers.

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