Presentation by Ngonidzashe Chirinda, CIAT, at the CLIFF-GRADS workshop on 6-7 October 2019 in Bali. The two-day workshop was organized by the CCAFS Low Emissions Development Flagship and the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA). Read more: https://ccafs.cgiar.org/cliff-grads-workshop

1. Ngonidzashe Chirinda
CLIFF-GRADS WORKSHOP
OCTOBER 6-7, 2019 - BALI, INDONESIA
Demystifying GHG inventories and MRV systems
Photo 1

2. What is an MRV systems?
• Mechanism to ensure information on GHG
emissions, mitigation actions and support is
reliable, transparent and comprehensive
• M = Measurement
(quantifying/counting/estimation)
• R = Reporting – (being accountable)
• V = Verification – (Oversight/independent
confirmation)
• MRV system of any actions is important for
transparency, determining effectiveness and
in-forming decision-making.
Photo 2

3. • John attends inspiring
conference – promises to
contribute towards achieving
personally determined poverty
mitigation targets.
• Possible indicators of progress,
money, support, plans and
actions
• Leader attends COP X - promises
convention to contribute
towards achieving nationally
determined climate change
mitigation targets
• Possible indicators of progress,
GHG emissions reductions,
support, polices, institutions
Developing country (DC)John

4. John
• 1st challenge - since this decision is
coming during the course of life,
what should be the baseline year
(day of the conference or before)?
• 2nd challenge – Which areas should
he monitored to determine
indicator dynamics and the impact
and success of his chosen actions
DC
• 1st challenge - since this decision is
coming while there is already some
economic activity in DC, what
should be the baseline year (year
of signing or before)?
• 2nd challenge - Which areas should
they monitor to determine
indicator dynamics and the impact
and success of his chosen actions

5. John
• 3th challenge – How and with what
frequency should progress be monitored.
• 4th challenge - How and with what
frequency should progress be reported to
the conference organizers who also want
to compile a report on the impact of the
conference
• 5th challenge - If John claims he is now
less poor can this claim be verified by an
independent person
DC
• 3th challenge – How and with what
frequency should progress be monitored.
• 4th challenge - How and with what
frequency should progress be reported to
the conference organizers who also want
to compile a report on the impact of the
conference
• 5th challenge - If the DC claims it now has
lower emissions. Can this claim be
verified by an independent person

6. Scope of Agricultural MRV systems
• MRV of emissions: estimation of
emissions at different scales
(project or national) and sectors
• MRV of NAMAs: impacts of
mitigation policies and actions
• MRV of support: impacts of
financial flows/technology
transfer/capacity building

7. National communications (NC)
Includes information on:
• National circumstances & institutional
arrangements
• National GHG inventories
• Important information on climate change
adaptation and mitigation actions
• Challenges
•
• Capacity-building needs
Photo 3

8. Why GHG inventories?
• Knowledge on magnitude & distribution of emissions sources & sinks
• Basis for informing ambitions and evaluating existing efforts
• Need to be transparent, complete, accurate, consistent over time,
and comparable across countries
• For agricultural GHG emissions, inventories remain the main tool
connecting policy with mitigation

9. National GHG inventories
• IPCC Guidelines for National GHG Inventories divided into various levels or
tiers.
• Higher tiers require more data leading to more accurate the emission
estimates.
• With sufficient data country can us higher tiers for either a source category
or technology.
• Baseline year for GHG inventories is 1994 or 1990 (Remember: UNFCCC
was adopted in 1992 and entered into force in 1994)

10. The Carbon Story (slides from Stephen M. Ogle)

11. N A T U R A L R E S O U R C E E C O L O G Y L A B O R A T O R Y
Limited Reporting of Soil C Stock Changes to UNFCCC
A. Enteric Methane
B. Manure Emissions
C. Soil N2O
D. Soil C stock changes
Ogle et al. 2014,
Global Change Biology

12. N A T U R A L R E S O U R C E E C O L O G Y L A B O R A T O R Y
Del Grosso et al. 2011, US-EPA 2016

13. • Crop type and sequence
• Tillage practice
• Residue management
• Mineral fertilization
• Manure and other organic
fertilization practices
• Irrigation
• Liming
Data Requirements
• Improved crop varieties
• Cover crops
• Vegetated/bare fallow
• Soil type
• Climate type
• Need to know each
unique management
system

14. N A T U R A L R E S O U R C E E C O L O G Y L A B O R A T O R Y
Current IPCC Default Model
2006 IPCC National GHG Inventory Guidelines
Volume 4, Chapter 2

15. N A T U R A L R E S O U R C E E C O L O G Y L A B O R A T O R Y
Alternative Model
Organic
Amendments
Three Pool Model
Irrigation
Active Slow
Passive
Litter/Residue
Yields/NPP
Soils
Data
Residue:Yield Root:Shoot
C, N, Lignin Fractions
Climate
Data
Tillage
Livestock/Other
Parton et al. 1987, SSSAJ; 2019 Refinement to the IPCC’s 2006
guidelines for national greenhouse gas inventory methodologies
Can be applied with
considerably less
data, and more
readily available
data, compared to
current IPCC default
method!

16. Components of a MRV for soil C change
• Benchmark sites (long-term
experiments, well characterised
chronosequences or paired
sampling sites)
• Representative land cover/ land use
types, soil types and management
• C change measured every few years
• Consider models as proposed in the
2019 Refinement to the IPCC’s 2006
guidelines for national greenhouse
gas inventory methodologies
Smith et al 2019 Global Change Biology

18. References
• Photo 1: https://infocus.dellemc.com/william_schmarzo/de-mystifying-big-data-business-model-
maturity-model-index/demystify/
• Photo 2: https://www.eginnovations.com/blog/how-can-i-use-microsoft-scom-for-end-to-end-
performance-monitoring/
• Photo 3: https://www.ccacoalition.org/en/resources/executive-summary-third-national-
communication-colombia-united-nations-framework