More than 190 experts will meet in Bilbao from Wednesday, June 7 to Wednesday, June 14, 2017 to begin work on a new Methodology Report to update the guidelines countries use for estimating greenhouse gas emissions and removals, bringing them into line with the new requirements of the 2015 Paris Agreement.
The meeting will launch the preparation of the new Report 2019 Refinement to the 2006 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (2019 Refinement). In particular the authors will elaborate the chapter outlines, allocate tasks among Lead Authors, and decide milestones between this and the Second Lead Author Meeting, which will take place in September this year. After another two meetings in 2018, the 2019 Refinement is planned to be finalised, and be adopted and accepted by the IPCC Plenary, in May 2019.
“Bureau or the IPCC Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories concluded that the 2006 IPCC Guidelines still provide a technically sound methodological basis of national greenhouse gas inventories; however, to maintain their scientific validity, certain refinements are required, taking into account scientific and other technical advances Gas Inventories (2019 Refinement),” said Mr. Kiyoto Tanabe, Co-Chair of the IPCC’s Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories.
The meeting is co-organised by Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3), with the collaboration of the Basque Government’s Department of Environment, the University of the Basque Country and the Spanish Climate Change Office.
María José Sanz, Scientific Director of BC3, said the 2019 Refinement would provide all countries with a common framework to move forward with the commitments arising from the Paris Agreement.
“Science must deliver in order to generate certainty and guidance, as an essential contribution to political action,” she said. “The choice of Bilbao to host this important gathering is a great recognition.”
The format and structure will be the same as the 2006 IPCC Guidelines (i.e. Overview Chapter and 5 Volumes) so as to make it easier for inventory compilers to use the 2019 Refinement in conjunction with the 2006 IPCC Guidelines.
I hope Nigeria is fully represented .