The Challenge
Saint Lucia, as a non- Annex I Party to the convention under the United Nations Framework Conversion on Climate Change (UNFCCC), is required to submit Biennial Update Reports (BURs) every two years. This requires the compilation of a greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory. These reporting obligations to the UNFCCC can often pose a challenge to developing countries where institutional memory and technical resources can be limited.
Saint Lucia’s previous inventory was compiled by external consultants, and the information regarding methodologies, data sources and assumptions was not held within the national inventory team. Therefore, the knowledge required to compile the GHG inventory was not fully retained by national institutions, leading to significant difficulties in the ongoing compilation and improvement of the inventory.
The key project objectives were to:
- Fully engage national experts in hands-on data collection and inventory compilation
- Compile and deliver a high quality GHG inventory by Saint Lucian experts
- Establish a sustainable GHG inventory system run by Saint Lucian experts capable of producing GHG inventory updates and continuous improvement.
The worldwide COVID-19 health crisis resulting in lockdowns in both Saint Lucia and Europe created an additional challenge. Participants and trainers were all working at home. As such, the two workshops were conducted remotely, rather than in-country as planned.
The Solution
Aether worked with the Department of Sustainable Development of Saint Lucia to compile a GHG inventory for the years 2000 – 2018. GHG estimates were produced in line with the 2006 IPCC Guidelines and are, therefore, suitable for international reporting needs. In order to document data and methodologies in a transparent manner all compilation spreadsheets and underlying data sets have been archived on Saint Lucia’s National Environmental Information System.
The key aspect of this project was the training and engagement of national experts and stakeholders. During this project, two workshops were undertaken to support the development of the national expertise. It was imperative that we enabled confident ownership of the GHG inventory by the appropriate Saint Lucian organisations (institutions, departments, private companies etc). These workshops were supported by a training plan customised to the needs to the Saint Lucia inventory team, and mentoring sessions held throughout the project. A QA/QC plan was developed, together with an improvement plan, in order to document the quality checks undertaken and identified improvements for future inventory cycles.
The Result
This project delivered the instruments needed for a sustainable GHG inventory compilation system with tailored inventory compilation spreadsheets, training manual, QA/QC plan and improvement plan. It marks the beginning of an enhanced institutional memory for the GHG inventory compilation process in Saint Lucia. The national GHG inventory team now have the necessary tools for compiling and further developing the inventory.
Photo credit: Kris Charles Photography
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