Emission Inventories

Accounting for air pollutants and greenhouse gases

An emissions inventory is an account of the amount of pollution released into the environment. This could be an inventory for an entire country or just a small area, consisting of a wide range of pollutants or just a few.  The data in an emissions inventory enables policy makers to prioritise options to reduce emissions and to monitor progress towards emission reduction targets.

Aether supports the development of air pollution and greenhouse gas emission inventories for national governments to fulfil their international reporting requirements.  We also undertake similar work for regions and local authorities. Our services span national inventory compilation and auditing, authoring guidance documents, and capacity building to build teams and train inventory compilers.

For more information contact Richard Claxton, Principal Consultant

Emissions inventory lifecycle

Developing an emissions inventory requires a series of steps to ensure a fully functioning system. Aether can provide a full emission inventory life cycle service.

Aether works in-country and/or remotely to collect, compile, check and format data to calculate and report national emissions inventories. A country may not need all of these steps, we provide a bespoke service according to needs.

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Inventory support

Aether provides guidance documents, training and key tools to support countries in developing their own skills in emissions inventories.

Aether has worked as part of multi-disciplinary teams to produce and update guidance documents on emissions inventory compilation and emissions projections. We have also worked on programmes across Europe, Africa, Asia, South America and the Caribbean to develop and train teams in producing emission inventories. Aether provides a suite of tools to aid emission inventory compilation, from simple spreadsheet templates and auditing tools to bespoke database solutions for calculation and reporting.

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Inventory review

Aether leads teams auditing the GHG inventories of Kyoto Protocol signatory countries

Aether provides highly experienced experts for a range of review panels for international processes requiring the review of emissions inventory data, such as the international Kyoto Protocol and the European Effort Sharing Decision and the CLRTAP convention. Aether is also able to support Governments in responding to review panel questions.

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Case studies

Rwanda: Review of GHG inventory, mitigation assessments and national reports

Emma Salisbury was contracted as an international expert to support Rwanda’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reporting to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Devolved Administration Greenhouse Gas and Air Pollution Inventories

Aether is now leading on the compilation and reporting of greenhouse gas and air pollution inventories for England and the Devolved Administrations, as a part of the wider UK National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory programme.

Support to the European Environment Agency

Aether has been providing support to the European Environment Agency through their European Topic Centres since 2014, focussing on air pollution, industrial pollution and climate change mitigation.

Capacity building in Liberia for GHG inventory compilation and MRV systems

Aether, in partnership with NEXUS International University (NIU) and the University of Liberia, provided capacity building training in GHG inventory compilation and MRV systems in Liberia.

EU Forest Reference Levels

Aether provided support to the European Commission and the LULUCF Expert Group in the technical assessment of EU Member State's National Forestry Accounting Plans.

Developing Saint Lucia’s GHG Inventory

Aether provided capacity building training to the national GHG inventory team of Saint Lucia. A new greenhouse gas inventory was developed together with a National Inventory Report and the inventory Biennial Update Report chapter.

Capacity building in Uganda for Paris Agreement Reporting

Aether, in partnership with Petromall and NEXUS International University (NIU), provided capacity building training in GHG inventory compilation in Uganda. We engaged with over 80 participants to provide interactive training courses in all inventory sectors.

Lewisham Route to Neutral

Support to Lewisham Council to define the route to carbon neutral for the Borough

United Arab Emirates Air Quality Inventory

Aether, in partnership with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), supported the Ministry of Climate Change and the Environment (MOCCAE) to compile the first UAE air pollutant emission inventory.

Review of inventories submitted under the National Emission Ceilings Directive

Aether has been involved in reviewing national emission inventories for more than 20 years, and provides several staff for key roles in the NEC Directive reviews.

Montenegro Climate Change Action MRV System

In cooperation with UNDP through the GEF funded project “Development of Montenegro’s Second BUR”, Aether has been supporting Montenegro in developing a monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) system for its climate change mitigation and adaptation actions.

Tanzania GHG Inventory, Projections and National System (MRV Portal)

Aether worked with the Vice President’s Office of the United Republic of Tanzania to develop an historical and projected GHG inventory and a sustainable national inventory system. The project delivered a tailored version of our innovative MRV portal. It was guided by high levels of stakeholder consultation and provided training to Tanzanian experts at two workshops.

2019 Refinement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines

Justin Goodwin, Director at Aether, worked as part of a multi-national team on the 2019 Refinement of the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories.

Irish Environmental Protection Agency

Aether supports the Irish Environmental Protection Agency with the preparation and submission of Ireland's National Emissions Inventory of Greenhouse Gases under the EU Monitoring Mechanism and Air Quality Pollutants under the National Emissions Ceiling Directive.

Emission Inventory Support for Environment Agency of Iceland

Aether is supporting the Environment Agency of Iceland in the compilation of its greenhouse gas and air quality emissions inventories as well as projections and policies and measures. We are helping to ensure that Iceland’s inventory is robust and of high quality.

North East Scotland sustainable energy action plan

Aether led the development of the North East Scotland Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP) for Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen City, Angus and Moray.

Colombia GHG inventory review - IPPU and energy

On the road towards submitting its third national communication, Colombia wanted to make sure that they had a high quality national GHG inventory.

Barbados greenhouse gas emissions inventory

Aether worked with Engain to produce Barbados’ Second National Communications Report to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

GHG inventory and QA/QC assistance in South Africa

On the road towards establishing a sustainable GHG inventory, Aether assisted South Africa's Department of Environmental Affairs to establish a National System for regular GHG estimation, analysis and reporting.

Jamaica GHG inventory review

Aether has been working with the Jamaican Government to compile and improve their national greenhouse gas emissions inventory for their Third National Communication and Biennial Update Report.

Testimonials

Don't just take our word for it...

“A heartfelt thank you to all the Aether team for this very comprehensive review – this is certainly turning out to be one of the most beneficial capacity building projects I have ever been involved in.”

Saviour Vassallo, Senior Environment Protection Officer, Malta Resources Authority

“The team at Aether works very professionally and communicates very well which makes working with them a pleasure. Outputs are delivered on time to high quality. The team brings the rigour of technical knowledge and expertise and finds innovative ways of communicating complex messages. I would be happy to recommend the Aether team to organisations working on analysing and presenting emissions information in the public domain.”

Fiona Glover, States of Jersey

“Aether is a great partner for work in the area of European Air Emissions. The team was committed, reliable, well organised and had a deep technical understanding and motivated other partners with their good spirit.”

Umweltbundesamt: Environment Agency Austria

“Aether was a great asset in involving/engaging with Member States experts on highly technical subjects regarding GHG reporting. Very clear communication of issues and results.”

Andreas Pilzecker, DG CLIMA

“We have been collaborating with Aether for several years, and our projects have greatly benefited from it. Aether staff are very knowledgeable, professional and flexible - and last but not least, very friendly and a pleasure to work with.”

Umhverfisstofnun, Environment Agency of Iceland

“It has been a pleasure to work with Chris Dore and Richard Claxton from Aether: they did their job in a very professional and timely manner. The workshop was organized and carried out in a cooperative spirit; the information provided to the workshop participants was complete and clear.”

Alina Novikova, UN/ECE Secretariat

“Aether delivered training workshops and generated learning materials for our SSN members, providing technical content in a manageable and comprehendible format. We particularly benefitted from their extensive knowledge and ability to interpret the needs of our members into the training materials.”

Jennifer Anderson, Sustainable Scotland Network

“Saint Lucia embraces the professional approach with which this project was undertaken by Aether, particularly their ability to develop mentorship relations with local government experts. This provides a basis for ensuring that the pool of local experts remain engaged and recognized over successive processes.”

Annette Rattigan-Leo, Chief Sustainable Development and Environment Officer

“It is always an absolute pleasure working with Aether. I always know what is expected of me. Their work ethic is of a very high standard and projects are always handled in a very professional manner. I have learnt many skills in terms of project management, quality control and workshop training styles from Aether and I hope to carry these principles forward in my own work. I look forward to collaborating with Aether more in the future.”

Luanne Stevens, Gondwana

“The Aether team were a joy to work with and I would recommend the consultancy - the service provided throughout the process was exceptional.”

Clare Bayley, Defra

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