National greenhouse gas inventories and official statistics - Finnish experiences

1. National greenhouse gas inventories and official statistics - Finnish experiences Riitta Pipatti Statistics Finland Conference on Climate Change, Development and Official Statistics Seoul, Republic of Korea 11 – 12 December 2008

2. Contents • National greenhouse gas inventories • Finland’s national greenhouse gas inventory system • Current data needs and role of statistics • Future data needs • Conclusions Riitta Pipatti

3. National Greenhouse Gas Inventories • Mandatory reporting for all Parties of the Climate Convention (UNFCCC) • Annex I Parties • annual reporting and annual review by international review teams • Non-Annex I Parties • periodic reporting as part of the national communication, no reviews (every four years, most non-Annex I Parties finalising their 2nd NCs) Riitta Pipatti

4. National greenhouse gas inventories • Gases: CO2, CH4, N2O, PFCs, HFCs and SF6 (air pollutants also reported but not part of the Kyoto Protocol) • Reporting of actual, annual emissions • Sectors: energy; industrial processes; solvent and other product use; agriculture, land use; land-use change and forestry; waste; other • International transport – reported but not part the Kyoto Protocol accounting framework • Methodologies • from simple calculations: emissions = activity data X emission factor to complex model calculations, e.g. first-order day model to estimate methane emissions from landfills Riitta Pipatti

5. National greenhouse gas inventories • Reporting requirements for Annex I Parties • Submissions under the UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol • by 15 April each year, strict timeline, >6 week delay ==> loss of eligibility to use Kyoto Mechanisms • strict reporting format (Common Reporting Format (CRF) tables, National Inventory Report NIR) • strict requirements on methodologies: IPCC guidelines and good practice guidance Riitta Pipatti

6. IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories • Revised 1996 Guidelines • 2000 Good Practice Guidance and Uncertainty Management(GPG2000) • Good Practice Guidance for Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (GPG-LULUCF) • 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Riitta Pipatti

7. UNFCCC reporting format (Common Reporting Format - CRF) Riitta Pipatti

8. National greenhouse gas inventories • Requirements on legal, institutional and procedural arrangements • National systems under Article 5, para 2 of the Kyoto Protocol • single entity responsible for the inventory • to ensure capacity (resources, competence) for timely performance meeting the reporting requirements • Quality management - continuous improvement; tiered approach; certain QC/QA measures mandatory (IPCC Tier 1) • mandatory - reviewed Riitta Pipatti

9. National greenhouse gas inventories • General requirements/inventory principles • transparency (CRF tables, National Inventory Report) • consistency (time series, consistency among sectors/categories) • comparability (among Parties of the UNFCCC) • completeness • accuracy (no systematic over/underestimation; uncertainties reduced as far as practicable) • UN Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics and European Statistics’ Code of Practice : • aim largely to the same goal; differences in scope, detail and terminology Riitta Pipatti

10. Finland’s National System • Statistics Finland - national entity with overall responsibility since 2005 • Statistics Act: access to administrative data • established procedures for data processing incl. confidentiality, verification and validation of data • objectivity in inventory reporting • Greenhouse Gas (GHG) inventories in Finland since early 1990s - current system more resources and expertise, more formalised system (detailed agreements and protocols on responsibilities) Riitta Pipatti

11. Finland’s National System Riitta Pipatti

12. Finland’s GHG inventory Riitta Pipatti

13. Trend in Finnish GHG emissions 1990 to 2006 Riitta Pipatti

14. Finland’s GHG Inventory - Data collection • Relying mainly on data from the existing statistical system • close collaboration with energy statistics (mutual benefits) • much of the data register-based - the registers are not always consistent • no gaps allowed; Kyoto Protocol - conservative adjustments • no overlaps or double-counting of the emissions and removals allowed • ensuring completeness and consistency can be resource consuming (e.g. land-use data in Finland) Riitta Pipatti

15. Finland’s GHG Inventory - Data collection • data on F-gases, some industrial processes and peat production areas collected with direct queries (efforts to reduce the burden on data providers) • data from the emission trading registry used directly or for verification • part of the data (mainly emission factors, parameters) for specific categories are based on research studies, measurement programmes, expert opinion, etc; these studies are resource consuming • reporting and reviews - specific modalities for disclosure of confidential data Riitta Pipatti

16. Current and future data needs and the role of statistics • Quality and availability of activity data crucial for the quality of the national greenhouse gas inventory • official statistics • the most important sources of data • cover much of the need, but not all • timelines of data • in developing countries - significant lack of data Riitta Pipatti

17. Current and future data needs and the role of statistics • Importance of the emission data and the links to economic data enhanced • CRF does not fully follow ISIC/NACE classifications • difficult if not impossible to combine data over sectors by branch of industry (depends on metadata available) • Finland – part of the metadata collected at process/plant or company level and ISIC/NACE classification recorded in the data system (energy, industrial processes) Riitta Pipatti

18. Current and future data needs and the role of statistics • What statistical offices can do to facilitate the preparation and development of inventories: • statistical data collection - to take the inventory needs into account in the development and prioritization of data collection • harmonisation of classifications (CRF vs. ISIC/NACE) on long term -mapping between the classifications on short term • Increased collaboration and dialog - the key issue • national collaboration • international collaboration (IPCC, UNFCCC) Riitta Pipatti

19. Future data needs • UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol • negotiations for future commitment periods ongoing • framework, structure of commitments may change • sectoral commitments? -- enhanced need of data by ISIC/NACE classification • MRV - measurable, reportable, verifiable • additional reporting on all commitments (emissions, policies and measures, technology transfer, funding, etc.): • International statistical community - active participation and input in the UNFCCC and IPCC processes Riitta Pipatti

20. Thank you! Information on Statistics Finland and the Finnish National Greenhouse Gas Inventory System at www.stat.fi and www.stat.fi/greenhousegases Information on IPCC, the Climate Convention and Kyoto Protocol, www.ipcc.ch unfccc.int Riitta Pipatti