National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Programme

National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Programme

The National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Programme is an essential component of India’s climate response architecture. Instituted to systematically quantify, monitor, and report greenhouse gas emissions across sectors, it serves as the backbone for evidence-based policymaking, international reporting, and tracking progress toward mitigation targets.

1. Background and Rationale

Climate change, driven by rising concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and other greenhouse gases, poses significant risks to India’s economy, ecosystems, and human well-being. In response, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) requires member countries to develop and submit national GHG inventories. The National GHG Inventories Programme was launched to institutionalize this process domestically, ensuring transparent, accurate, and consistent data.

2. Objectives of National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Programme

The Programme has four primary objectives:

1. Comprehensive Emissions Assessment
   Establish a robust database of annual emissions and removals of CO₂, CH₄, N₂O, and fluorinated gases across all major sectors.

2. Policy Support and Planning
   Provide reliable data to inform national mitigation strategies, sector-specific action plans, and long-term low-carbon development pathways.

3. Compliance and Reporting
   Fulfil India’s commitments under the UNFCCC, the Paris Agreement, and other multilateral frameworks by preparing national communications and biennial update reports.

4. Capacity Building
   Enhance technical expertise within government bodies, research institutions, and private stakeholders through training, guidelines, and methodological updates.

3. Institutional Framework and Functions

The Programme operates under the aegis of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), in collaboration with:

• Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB): Coordinates data collection from industry and waste sectors.

• National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC): Provides land-use-change and forestry (LULUCF) data via satellite imagery.

• Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR): Supplies agriculture sector emission factors.

• Energy Statistics Division, Ministry of Power: Contributes energy consumption and fuel combustion data.

Key functions include:

• Data Compilation and Validation
  Collecting activity data (e.g., fuel use, waste volumes, fertilizer application) and applying appropriate emission factors to compute sectoral GHG emissions.

• Methodology Development
  Reviewing and adapting IPCC Guidelines (2006, 2019 Refinement) to ensure compatibility with national contexts.

• Quality Assurance and Control (QA/QC)
  Establishing protocols for peer review, cross-validation, and error checking to enhance inventory accuracy.

• Reporting and Dissemination
  Publishing annual inventory reports, digital dashboards, and summary tables for policymakers, researchers, and the public.

4. Methodology

The Programme follows a tiered approach, as prescribed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), comprising:

4.1 Sectoral Coverage

• Energy: Fuel combustion in power plants, industries, transport, residential and commercial buildings.

• Industrial Processes and Product Use (IPPU): Emissions from cement, steel, chemicals, refrigeration, and solvent use.

• Agriculture: Enteric fermentation, manure management, rice cultivation, and field burning of agricultural residues.

• Land Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry (LULUCF): Carbon stock changes due to deforestation, afforestation, forest degradation, and forest management.

• Waste: Solid waste disposal, wastewater treatment, and incineration.

4.2 Tiered Calculation Methods

• Tier 1: Uses global default emission factors and basic activity data. Applied when national data are scarce.

• Tier 2: Incorporates country-specific emission factors derived from studies, surveys, or local measurements.

• Tier 3: Employs advanced, model-based approaches (e.g., dynamic models, remote sensing) for higher accuracy, primarily in LULUCF and agriculture.

4.3 Data Sources and Emission Factors

• National Energy Statistics: Fuel consumption data compiled by the Ministry of Power.

• Industry Surveys: Annual returns from factories under the Environment Protection Act.

• Agricultural Census and ICAR Studies: Livestock numbers, cropping patterns, and fertilizer usage.

• Remote Sensing and GIS: High-resolution land-use maps for forest cover change.

• Peer-Reviewed Studies: Country-specific emission factors for methane from rice fields and manure.

4.4 Quality Assurance/Quality Control

• Verification Protocols: Cross-checking statistical reports, third-party audits, and inter-agency review workshops.

• Uncertainty Analysis: Estimating confidence intervals for each sector using Monte Carlo simulations and sensitivity analyses.

• Documentation: Detailed inventory compendium with methodological descriptions, data sources, and assumptions.

5. Impact and Applications

The National GHG Inventories Programme has far-reaching effects on India’s climate governance:

1. Policy Formulation
   Data from the inventory underpin the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) and sectoral missions (e.g., National Solar Mission, Sustainable Agriculture Mission).

2. International Engagement
   India’s biennial update reports and nationally determined contributions (NDCs) are grounded in inventory outputs, enhancing credibility in international negotiations.

3. Emission Mitigation
   Identifying high-emitting sectors enables targeted interventions, such as promoting cleaner fuels, improving waste management, and enhancing forest sinks.

4. Research and Innovation
   Open access to emission databases spurs academic research, leading to improved emission factors, modelling tools, and best practices.

5. Private Sector and Civil Society
   Transparent data enables businesses to set science-based targets and NGOs to monitor progress, fostering a collaborative climate action ecosystem.

6. Challenges and Way Forward

Despite its strengths, the Programme faces several challenges:

• Data Gaps: Incomplete activity data in informal sectors and small-scale industries.

• Resource Constraints: Limited funding for advanced modelling and continuous capacity building.

• Technical Complexity: Need for standardized protocols and interoperability among diverse data systems.

To address these, the Programme is scaling up remote sensing integration, expanding Tier 2 and Tier 3 methods, and strengthening inter-ministerial coordination. Continuous training workshops and investment in digital data platforms will further enhance the accuracy, timeliness, and policy relevance of India’s GHG inventory.

The National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Programme thus stands as a cornerstone of India’s climate strategy—providing the rigorous, transparent data foundation necessary to track emissions, inform policy, and guide the nation toward its low-carbon development goals.

ENVIRONMENT