Managing Quality in the Finnish Greenhouse Gas Inventory Leena Raittinen, Statistics Finland Q2008...

Managing Quality in the Finnish Greenhouse Gas Inventory

Leena Raittinen, Statistics FinlandQ2008 Conference, Rome10 July 2008

10 July 2008 2Leena Raittinen, Statistics Finland

Contents

Greenhouse gas inventories in brief Finland’s national system for GHG inventory preparation

and reporting Defining quality Process approach

Inventory processQA/QC process

Experiences and conclusions


Greenhouse gas inventories in brief

Industrial countries that are parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Kyoto Protocol must prepare annual national GHG inventories that cover emissions and removals of direct anthropogenic GHGs from six sectors and for all years from the base year or period up to the most recent year (x-2).

EU members have reporting obligations also under the EU GHG monitoring mechanism.

CO2, CH4, N2O,HFC’s, PFC’s and SF6

1990/1995 - 2006

•Energy•Industrial processes•Solvent and other product use•Agriculture•Land-use change and Forestry•Waste


Importance of inventories

The GHG inventory is an essential link between science and policy-making in climate change mitigation.

The inventory produces the information needed in assessing the effectiveness of the measures taken to reduce greenhouse gas

emissions and the advancement of each party in fulfilling the obligations to the

Convention. Accurate, consistent and internationally comparable data on GHG

emissions are essential for the international community to take the most appropriate action to mitigate climate change, and ultimately to achieve the objective of the Convention:

“…stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.”


Requirements for reportingTo promote the provision of credible and consistent GHG information,

the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC has developed standardised requirements for reporting national inventories.

Strict reporting format - inventory submissions comprise two parts: Common reporting format (CRF) tables - a series of standardised data tables

containing mainly numerical information, submitted electronically. National inventory report (NIR) - a comprehensive description of the methodologies

used in compiling the inventory, the data sources, the institutional structures and quality assurance and quality control procedures.

Strict timelines - schedule of reporting: EC Commission preliminary data by 15 January, final data by 15 March UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol by 15 April each year 6 weeks delay ==> loss of eligibility to use Kyoto Mechanisms!

Strict requirements on methodologies: The inventories are based on IPCC methodologies and guidelines, which include

requirements on QA/QC, uncertainty estimation, etc.


Finland’s national system for GHG inventory preparation and reporting

F-gasesWaste

Land-use change and forestry

EnvironmentalPermits

Emissiontrading registry

Other

Advisory Board:Relevant ministries, the Energy Market Authority,

Finnish Environment Institute, Finnish Forest ResearchInstitute and Agrifood Research Finland

Annual Inventorysubmissions to EU,UNFCCC and Kyoto

Protocol

Statistics FinlandNational Entity

Energy, Industrial processes

Greenhouse Gas Inventory, based on theStatistics Act, protocols, agreementsand contracts

Administrativedata sources Finnish

EnvironmentalInstitute

Finnish ForestResearchInstitute

AgrifoodResearchFinland

TechnicalResearchFinland

Finavia

Agriculture

TransportAviation


Quality management is implemented in a structured way The inventory unit (Statistics Finland) bears the responsibility and has the

resources for the co-ordination of the quality management measures for the parties of the national system and for the quality management of the GHG inventory at the national level.

The expert organisations contributing to the production of emission or removal estimates are responsible for the quality of their own inventory calculations.

Quality co-ordinator steers and facilitates the QA/QC process. Experts of all calculation sectors implement and document the QA/QC

procedures. Issues related to QA/QC are discussed in

the meetings of the inventory working group (participants from all institutes participating in the inventory preparation, 4-7 meetings per year)

the bilateral quality meetings between the inventory unit and the expert organisations (once a year).

An electronic quality manual including e.g. guidelines, plans, templates and checklists is in place and available to all parties of the national inventory system via the Internet.


Defining quality According to the established quality management standards and

frameworks, quality is defined as a relation between expectations and outcomes.

In the context of GHG inventories, high quality provides that both the structures of the national system (i.e. all institutional, legal and

procedural arrangements) for estimating GHG emissions and removals and

the inventory submissions (i.e. outputs, products)

comply with the requirements, principles and elements rising from the UNFCCC, the Kyoto Protocol, IPCC guidelines and the EU GHG monitoring mechanism.

“Quality is the degree to which a set of characteristics

fulfils requirements”(e.g. ISO 9001, EFQM)


Inventory process

1. Inventory planning- setting quality objectives- elaboration of QA/QC plan- specifying necessary processes and resources- selecting methods and emission factors

4. Inventory improvement- quality meetings- assessing the effectivenessof the inventory system- conclusions for future action

4. Act 1. Plan

ContinuousImprovement

3. Check 2. Do

2. Inventory Preparation- collecting activity data- estimating GHG emissions andremovals- implementing QC checks- implementing uncertaintyassessment- recalculations- documenting and archiving inventorymaterial- reporting

3. Inventory Evaluation- implementing QA activities

internal auditsexpert peer reviews

- verification- reviews of international review teams

Inventory Principles:Continuous Improvement - Transparency - Consistency- Comparability - Completeness - Accuracy - Timeliness

May - June

August - December

November - February/ throughout the year

March - April

Reporting:Preliminary data to the EU by 15 January

Final submission to the UNFCCC by 15 April


QA/QC process

Consideration of inventory principlesContinuous improvement - Transparency - Consistency - Comparability - Completeness - Accuracy - Timeliness

plan

Qualityplanning

do

Quality ControlQC

check

QualityAssurance

QA

act

Conclusionsand

improvement


Inventory principles - framework for quality

Transparency Consistency Comparability Completeness Accuracy

Timeliness

Continuous improvement

UNFCCC reporting guidelines (FCCC/SBSTA/2006/9)

EU greenhouse gas monitoring mechanism, Decision 280/2004/EC

IPCC Guidelines


plan

Qualityplanning

do

Quality ControlQC

check

QualityAssurance

QA

act

Conclusionsand

improvement


Quality planning includes setting of quality objectives and planning the QC and QA procedures

Quality objectives are based upon and refined from the inventory principles. They are concrete expressions of the standard aimed at in the inventory preparation. The objectives’ aim is to be appropriate and realistic while taking account of the available resources and other conditions in the operating environment. Where possible, the quality objectives should be measurable.

QA/QC plan is a checklist that specifies the actions, the schedules for the actions and the responsibilities needed to achieve the quality objectives. In addition, it includes the review procedures intended for verifying that the quality objectives are met and ensuring that the inventory represents the best possible estimate of emissions and sinks given the current state of scientific knowledge and data available.


plan

Qualityplanning

do

Quality ControlQC

check

QualityAssurance

QA

act

Conclusionsand

improvement


Quality objectives for the latest (2006) inventory (1/2):

Transparency Archiving of the inventory is systematic and complete. Internal documentation for the calculation supports the emission and removal

estimates. The CRF tables and NIR include transparent and appropriate descriptions of

the emission and removal estimates and their production.

Consistency The time series are consistent. The data have been used in a consistent manner in the inventory.

Comparability The methodologies and formats of the inventory meet the requirements for

comparability.

Completeness The inventory covers all the emission sources, sinks, gases and geographic

areas.


plan

Qualityplanning

do

Quality ControlQC

check

QualityAssurance

QA

act

Conclusionsand

improvement



plan

Qualityplanning

do

Quality ControlQC

check

QualityAssurance

QA

act

Conclusionsand

improvement

Quality objectives for the latest (2006) inventory (2/2):

Accuracy Estimates are systematically neither over nor under true emissions or

removals. Calculation is correct. Inventory uncertainties are estimated.

Timeliness The inventory reporting reaches its receiver (EU/UNFCCC) within the set

time.

Continuous improvement Review feedback is considered in a systematic way. The improvements promised in the National Inventory Report (NIR) are

carried out. The inventory is improved in a systematic way. The quality control (QC) procedures meet the requirements. Appropriate and sufficient quality assurance procedures of the inventory are

in place.


Quality control (QC) procedures aim at attainment of the quality objectives

QC procedures are performed during inventory calculation and compilation according to the QA/QC plan.

Quality control measures aim at the attainment of quality objectives and include

routine checks of the integrity, correctness and completeness of data identification of errors and deficiencies documentation and archiving of inventory data and quality control

actions. In addition to these general QC checks, category-specific QC checks

including technical reviews of the source categories, activity data, emission factors and methods are applied on a case-by-case basis focusing on key categories and on categories where significant methodological and data revisions have taken place.


plan

Qualityplanning

do

Quality ControlQC

check

QualityAssurance

QA

act

Conclusionsand

improvement


Quality assurance (QA) comprises a planned system of review procedures

QA activities of the inventory recorded in the QA/QC plan are performed at the inventory evaluation stage

Reviews are performed after the implementation of QC procedures to the finalised inventory

The inventory QA system comprises evaluations and reviews to verify that data quality objectives were met determine the conformity of the procedures taken identify areas where improvements could be made

i.e. to assess the quality of the inventory and the inventory compilation and reporting process.


plan

Qualityplanning

do

Quality ControlQC

check

QualityAssurance

QA

act

Conclusionsand

improvement


QA actions differ from one another in their viewpoints, purposes and timings Basic review of the draft GHG estimates and the draft report

(November - December) The inventory working group, the inventory unit and the advisory board examine the

reporting before the submission.

Internal self-evaluations (January - February) Experts in their specific calculation sectors and the inventory unit at the level of the

whole inventory examine the actual activity and results attained and compare them with the quality objectives set and the QA/QC plans made.

Peer reviews Sector/category specific projects, bilateral collaboration

UNFCCC inventory reviews According to the UNFCCC review process.

Data verification Sector/category specific procedures and data.


plan

Qualityplanning

do

Quality ControlQC

check

QualityAssurance

QA

act

Conclusionsand

improvement


QA/QC process contributes to the improvement of the inventory In the improvement stage conclusions are made on the basis of the

realised QA/QC process and its results The bilateral quality meetings between the inventory unit and the expert

organisations are held in January - March The findings of internal self-evaluations, UNFCCC review feedback and other

accumulated information on the quality of the inventory are discussed. Inventory development needs and projects that need additional resources are

identified and included in the inventory improvement plan to be considered in the advisory board of the inventory.

In addition, the conditions (resources, schedules, procedures, support needs) for the inventory work are discussed.

The main findings and conclusions are communicated to the parties to Finland’s greenhouse gas inventory system for decision-making concerning the next inventory round.


plan

Qualityplanning

do

Quality ControlQC

check

QualityAssurance

QA

act

Conclusionsand

improvement


Experiences and conclusions Systematic development of inventory quality management system

since 2004. Pillars of the inventory quality management system:

common conceptual framework process approach.

Quality management needs resources, time and competence. Positive experiences and good results

The latest UNFCCC review report: good compliance with the requirements.

Areas of focus in future: development of efficiency and effectiveness of the quality

management preparation for the post-Kyoto period (after 2012) ‘soft is hard’.


Thank you!

[email protected]

www.stat.fi/greenhousegases

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