Category: National Governments

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).

The challenge

Under the UNFCCC, Rwanda is classified as a non-Annex I party, and is required to submit National Communications (NCs) and Biennial Update Reports (BURs) at regular intervals. BURs must be prepared to a high standard ready to undergo an international consultation and analysis (ICA) process which includes a technical analysis on the transparency of mitigation actions and their effects. Rwanda required support during the compilation of its first BUR to ensure that the GHG inventory and mitigation assessments were in line with international best practice.

The solution

As part of the production of the first BUR, a national GHG inventory was compiled and mitigation actions assessed for four sectors in Rwanda; Energy, Industrial Processes and Product Use (IPPU), Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) and Waste.

Emma collaborated with the national experts that compiled the GHG inventory and mitigation assessments to provide Quality Assurance (QA) in line with international best practice. The mitigation assessments were compared against the ICA criteria to check alignment with reporting expectations. The GHG inventory chapter of the BUR and the accompanying National Inventory Report (NIR) were also reviewed with the benefit of 10+ years of international experience.

The result

Rwanda submitted its first BUR to the UNFCCC in 2021, with its national GHG inventory and mitigation assessments checked in line with international best practice. A NIR containing in depth detail of the GHG inventory compilation process was also checked and submitted. National experts in Rwanda received technical guidance and support through one-to-one discussions and in-depth feedback on documents and calculations.

See all case studies

Chris Dore

Director

Related case studies

United Arab Emirates Air Quality Inventory

Category: National Governments, Emission Inventories

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.

Read case study

Montenegro Climate Change Action MRV System

Category: National Governments, Policies and Measures

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.

Read case study

Barbados greenhouse gas emissions inventory

Category: National Governments, Emission Inventories

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

Read case study

News

Latest news

Posted on: 13 January 2026

Devolved Governments Air Pollutant Emissions Inventories

The air pollutant emissions inventories for England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland were published in September 2025. The data covers the period 2005 to 2023, for the pollutants ammonia, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, non-methane volatile organic compounds, PM10, PM2.5, sulphur dioxide, and lead. In addition, experimental inventory statistics are presented for emissions of benzo[a]pyrene, dioxins and furans, and mercury.

Read full story

Posted on: 11 December 2025

Aether provided training to strengthen Government of Jersey’s climate policy modelling capacity

Aether completed a project for to train staff in Government of Jersey in using Aether's Carbon Scenario Model to quantify the carbon impacts of net zero policies. The model is a key tool for the Government of Jersey for informing policy decisions on climate actions, and other related policies.

Read full story

Posted on: 6 October 2025

Aether Experts Contribute to IPCC Report on Short-Lived Climate Forcers

In the first week of October Richard Claxton and Sergii Shmarin were in Istanbul, contributing as lead authors to the upcoming IPCC Methodology Report on Short-Lived Climate Forcers (SLCFs). SLCFs - such as black carbon, and other ozone precursors play a critical role in climate change and air quality. The new methodology report will provide essential guidance for countries to improve their emissions inventories and strengthen climate action.

Read full story

Posted on: 1 September 2025

Six new project wins for the land development services team

Aether has recently expanded its Land Development services and secured six new commissions with one of the UK’s top 14 house builders. These projects span from comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessments for large-scale residential developments to focused sustainability, energy, and air quality reports for smaller schemes.

Read full story

Testimonial

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

“ Professional team and very collaborative communication. Effective result in terms of suggestions for improvement in the quality of the inventory and proposals on how to streamline specific topics. ”

Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research

“ 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

“ The support provided by Aether for this project was especially remarkable considering the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic. The tools and methods used in order to engage local stakeholders really added value to the capacity building of the national team. ”

Shanna Emmanuel, Saint Lucia BUR Project Coordinator

“ I must congratulate each of you for your professional and tireless efforts. Let me point out that this has been the 'neatest' in-country review expert review team I have coordinated, and it has been a real pleasure. ”

UNFCCC Secretariat

“ 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

“ Aether's approach to couple innovative visualisation with high expertise manpower delivered valuable insights for our inventory work. ”

Umweltbundesamt (Germany)