Archiving Guidance for a National Greenhouse Gas Inventory

In order to better assist them in documenting and archiving GHGI data, FAO has developed this step-by-step guidance on the structure for an archiving system (Chapter 1) and good practices for the transparent compilation of GHGI files (Chapter 2). It is hoped this will be a useful tool not only to facilitate compilation of current GHGIs but also of future GHGIs. As part of the same efforts, supporting tools are also provided, including the GHG data management tool (Annex 1) – aimed at ensuring that all data requirements for GHGI preparation are met and metadata systematically stored – and the good practice checklist (Annex 3). This guidance is intended for managers, compilers, sectoral experts and data providers in ministries, agencies or institutions in charge of preparing the GHGI. Managers can count on the fact that appropriate procedures for the archiving of data and inventory information are in place, which will facilitate their response to the technical expert review (TER) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), while compilers and data providers alike will benefit from the archiving system for preparation of future GHGIs