How the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory works
The compilation of Australia’s emissions data – called the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory – is undertaken centrally by the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency using the Australian Greenhouse Emissions Information System (AGEIS). The AGEIS includes a dynamic web interface for searching Australia’s National Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data online..
Australia’s National Greenhouse Accounts conform to the international guidelines adopted by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The National Greenhouse Gas Inventory is reviewed annually by a team of international experts.
Australia’s National Greenhouse Gas Inventory is supported by a set of institutional arrangements which is designed to facilitate close co-ordination of the compilation of the inventory, efficient emissions data management, broadly based quality assurance processes and secure and reliable data collections.
Data collection processes are an important consideration for inventory preparation, to ensure accurate and time series-consistent emissions data. The major sources of activity data are published by key national economic statistics agencies: the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE).
However, in 2009-10, the data collection system will transition to new arrangements with increased reliance on the data obtained under the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007. This Act introduced mandatory reporting for businesses that produce emissions above defined thresholds.
Australia monitors and accounts for its greenhouse gas emissions from land based sectors in its national inventory through the Australian Greenhouse Emissions Information System (AGEIS) and the National Carbon Accounting System (NCAS). The AGEIS currently accounts for the methane and nitrous oxide emissions from livestock and crop production while the NCAS is currently designed to account for carbon emissions from agriculture, deforestation and forestry.
The Accounts report national emission estimates for the most recent quarter available. Comprehensive data at national, state and industry levels are also made available after sixteen months.
What is the rest of the world doing?
Other developed countries are also required to produce annual greenhouse gas inventories. These are available on the UNFCCC website.