6 June 2014
CCXG Publishes Paper on Accounting for Diverse Mitigation Contributions
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he Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)/International Energy Agency (IEA) Climate Change Expert Group (CCXG) has published a paper, titled “GHG or not GHG: Accounting for Diverse Mitigation Contributions in the Post-2020 Climate Framework.”

OECDMay 2014: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)/International Energy Agency (IEA) Climate Change Expert Group (CCXG) has published a paper, titled “GHG or not GHG: Accounting for Diverse Mitigation Contributions in the Post-2020 Climate Framework.”The paper highlights that the parties to the UNFCCC are working towards a new climate change agreement in 2015 and are likely to put forward a diverse range of intended national mitigation contributions. It notes that these contributions could vary from greenhouse gas (GHG) to non-GHG (such as energy efficiency) goals, using a variety of accounting approaches, which would determine the actual levels of emission reductions.

The paper emphasizes that, because of the likely diversity of intended goals, there is a need for a post-2020 accounting framework that accommodates a range of contribution types and varying national capacities to ensure that the contributions can be understood and their implementation tracked.

The paper focuses on three issues necessary to ensure understanding of parties’ intended contributions and their expected impacts on GHG emission levels: the information parties should provide when submitting their intended mitigation contributions; the accounting rules or guidance for post-2020 mitigation contributions that should be agreed or developed before 2020; and the timing of key decisions on accounting issues, taking into account the agreed timetable for communication of intended mitigation contributions.

The paper highlights different accounting issues that could arise from parties’ submitted contributions, including the climate impacts of GHG and non-GHG goals, double-counting of emission reductions and options for land sector accounting. It further outlines what information is required to clarify these accounting issues and when each piece of information should be provided – whether before the first quarter of 2015 or between 2015 and 2020. [Publication: GHG or not GHG: Accounting for Diverse Mitigation Contributions in the Post-2020 Climate Framework]

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