6.2.4. Issues for Consideration in National and Project Reporting (continued)
|
Table 6-2: Issues related to data quality at
the national level.
|
|
| Issue |
Question
|
National Reporting
|
|
| Measurements and data |
Are measured data available for estimating changes in carbon stock? |
Collection of national data is outside the scope of the Guidelines. However,
the reliance on default data can be a constraint to obtaining reliable estimates. |
|
| Uncertainty, accuracy, and precision |
Can the uncertainty, accuracy, and precision of estimates of changes in
carbon stock be calculated and reported? |
Basic statistical methods for estimating uncertainty are provided in the
Reporting Instructions. The confidence level of emissions estimates is reported
in Table 8A, often qualitatively, by countries. Methods of reporting uncertainty
may not be adequate. |
|
| Transparency |
Do the Guidelines allow for transparent reporting of stock changes resulting
from ARD and additional activities? |
The Guidelines allow for transparency reporting, but only if countries
provide worksheets and additional supporting information. |
|
| Verifiability |
Are there methods in the Guidelines for verifying changes in carbon stock
resulting from ARD and additional activities? |
Basic verification steps are outlined but are not explicit. There are
no reporting sheets for verification. |
|
|
Table 6-3: Other issues related to reporting
at the national and project levels.
|
|
| Issue |
Questions
|
National Reporting
|
Project Reporting
|
|
| Scale dependency |
Are the methods in the Guidelines scale dependent? Could they be applied
at different scales, including at the project level? |
The Guidelines are designed for national level reporting. |
The Guidelines are not designed for project-level reporting. A well-defined
system boundary should be part of any reporting guidelines for projects. |
|
| Additionality and baselines |
Do the Guidelines provide methods for reporting baselines and additionality? |
Not possible to report baselines and additionality for a given year. At
the reporting level, activities that reduce emissions are not distinguished
from those that increase carbon storage. |
The Guidelines are not designed for reporting additionality and baselines.
New methods for reporting system boundaries, additionality, and baselines
and for projections may be required. |
|
| Leakage |
Do the Guidelines provide a basis for reporting leakage? |
The Guidelines are not designed to detect leakage at the national level. |
The Guidelines are not designed to detect leakage at the project level.
The reporting of all projects within a system boundary would be required
for detecting leakage. |
|
| Periodicity of data and time scales of processes |
What is the periodicity of the input data in the Guidelines? How does
this periodicity relate to the time scales of the processes, the inventory
base year (1990), and the commitment period (2008-2012)? |
The periodicity of the input data varies from 3-yr averages to 20 years
or more. For delayed processes, historical data over 10- and 20-yr periods
and longer are needed. The full impacts of an activity may not occur, or
be detected, in the commitment period if the effects are delayed. |
The frequency of data collection depends on the nature of the project. |
|
| Frequency of data measurements and reporting |
What is the frequency of measurements and reporting in the Guidelines?
What are the implications of the frequency of measurements for assessing
annual carbon stocks as currently required under the Protocol? |
The Guidelines are designed for annual reporting. However, annual measurements
are not always available. The implications of how stocks will be reported
during the commitment period (2008-2012) are not clear. |
Project-level measurements and reporting may follow the national reporting. |
|
| Cost of data collection |
Is the cost of different methods for data collection provided in the Guidelines? |
Costs of data collection are not discussed. |
Costs of data collection are built in, and fully considered, when determining
the feasibility of a project. |
|