KELLY LEVIN AND ERIN COOPER DECEMBER 2016
MONITORING PROGRESS TOWARD
NDC GOALS:
TRANSPARENCY IN THE PARIS
AGREEMENT
WHY ARE MONITORING SYSTEMS IMPORTANT?
• Domestically
– Understand key emissions sources and sinks
– Design effective mitigation strategies
– Assess impacts of mitigation projects and policies
– Track progress toward mitigation targets
– Meet stakeholder demands for public disclosure of
GHG information
• Internationally
– Meet international reporting obligations under
UNFCCC
– Build trust
– Track global emissions and emissions reductions
SOME UNIQUE ASPECTS ABOUT PARIS
TRANSPARENCY FRAMEWORK
• Likely to increase the frequency and quality of information on GHG emissions and climate support for some Parties
• Will provide clearer guidance in some areas, e.g. accounting for NDCs.
• Includes technical expert reviews and multilateral consideration of progress, which can lead to improvements in reporting and measurement.
OECD. May 2016.
DEVELOPING MONITORING SYSTEMS FOR NDCS
Asp
ects
of
mo
nit
ori
ng
Emissions
Progress towards NDC: mitigation
Progress towards NDC: adaptation
Support
DEVELOPING MONITORING SYSTEMS FOR NDCS
Asp
ects
of
mo
nit
ori
ng
Emissions
Progress towards NDC: mitigation
Progress towards NDC: adaptation
Support
PARIS AGREEMENT, ARTICLE 13, PARA 7
7. Each Party shall regularly provide the
following information:
(b) Information necessary to track progress
made in implementing and achieving its
nationally determined contribution under
Article 4.
MEASURING GHG IMPACTS DEPENDS ON NDC TYPE
WRI/UNDP. Designing and Preparing NDCs.
NEW ACCOUNTING NEEDS
• For intensity targets:
– Data sources for unit of output
• For baseline scenario targets:
– Whether dynamic/static; If dynamic, recalculation policy
– Inclusion of policies in baseline scenario and cut off year
for inclusion
– National institutions/procedures for baseline
development
– Assumptions for key drivers, projection methods, and
data sources
DATA COLLECTION
Targets:
• GHG inventory
• Land sector, transferable emissions units (if applicable)
• Baseline scenarios in case of baseline scenario goals
Policies/actions
• Results: GHG effects
– Defined by GHG quantification method and the policy type
– Baseline scenario and policy scenario
– Activity data, emission factors, and socioeconomic data
• Results: Non-GHG effects
– Defined by type of non-GHG effect under consideration
– Typically include socioeconomic related to employment, health,
and air quality
• Progress towards implementation
– Policy administration, finance, compliance and enforcement
QUANTIFICATION OF MITIGATION TARGETS
MONITORING PROGRESS TOWARDS TARGETS
EXAMPLE FROM SOUTH AFRICA’S MINING SECTOR
INVENTORY VS. MITIGATION ACTION ACCOUNTING
• Inventory accounting: Year-on-year emissions tracking
• Mitigation action accounting: Estimating the change in GHG
emissions from an intervention
Source: WRI
MONITORING OF NON-GHG TARGETS
• Track progress towards the relevant
indicator (e.g. energy efficiency of sectors;
level of renewable energy generation)
• Can additionally quantify GHG impacts of
the target, but will need to understand
what actions are being taken to achieve
the target
METHODS AVAILABLE
Method Data
Targets • GHG Protocol Mitigation Goal Standard (for governments)
Policies/
Projects – GHG effects
• GHG Protocol Policy and Action Standard (policies)
• CDM; GHG Protocol Project Standard; Gold Standard; VCS
(projects)
Policies/
Projects - SD effects
• Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA) Sustainable Development Evaluation Tool
• CDM Sustainable development co-benefits tool• Methods specific to the sustainable development effect
concerned• May use guidance from relevant standards e.g. GHG Protocol
Policy and Action Standard
Progress of
implementation
• No internationally accepted standard
• WRI Policy Implementation Framework
PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER
Source: New York City, PlaNYC 2013
2005 BASE YEAR
WHAT TO BUILD ON
• BURs, which include effects of NAMAs
• Any domestic processes that track
implementation/effects of actions (e.g. for
mitigation actions or NAMAs) and targets
REPORTING
• Determine reporting requirements
• Determine format
• Build [IT] database
• Determine confidentiality arrangements
• Determine reporting frequency to feed into
international reports
SYNERGIES WITH OTHER OBJECTIVES
• Tracking progress towards NDCs can help track progress towards other goals (e.g. SDGs)
• Opportunity to show progress is made towards multiple objectives and build support
• Beneficial to build a system that tracks both GHG and SD effects of climate action
• Tracking of implementation can enhance efficiency of implementation of policies unrelated to climate
BUILDING BLOCKS OF TRANSPARENCY
Measurement
• Accounting
methods
• Emission factors
• Activity data
• Baselines, if
relevant
Reporting
• Rules and
procedures
• Database/
reporting platform
and format
Verification
• Verification
guidance
• Rules and
procedures
Institutional arrangements
Capacity: Human, technical, financial, and institutional
SOME RESOURCES THAT CAN HELP ASSIST IN
TRACKING NDC AND UNDERLYING POLICIES
How to estimate the
greenhouse gas effects of
policies and actions
How to assess progress toward
national or subnational GHG
emissions reduction goals
SOME TAKEAWAYS
• Paris Agreement presents opportunity to improve transparency
of action and support, with greater capacity building.
• Development of modalities, procedures and guidelines for
transparency and accounting will provide further clarity on
detailed reporting and methods for tracking progress.
• Many countries’ existing systems can be built upon for
monitoring of NDCs, and many methods and tools exist that can
support monitoring of NDCs.
• The GHG inventory is the foundation of monitoring of mitigation
targets.
• Monitoring of NDCs can be an opportunity to show progress
towards multiple objectives.
THANK YOU
Kelly Levin, WRI
David Rich, WRI
Erin Cooper, WRI
Top Related