Measuring, recording and verifying greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation
This report contains a compilation and review of dozens of publicly accessible GHG accounting tools in the AFOLU sector, including livestock, to quantify GHG emissions/offsets from agricultural and forestry activities. The tools include calculators, protocols, guidelines and models; relevant examples are described separately in this document.
Denef K, Paustian K, Archibeque S, Biggar S, Pape D
2012
Interim report to USDA under Contract No. GS23F8182H
This report describes a standard set of GHG estimation methods for use by US Department of Agriculture (USDA), landowners, and other stakeholders to evaluate the GHG impacts of their management decisions. It provides methods suitable for GHG inventory efforts at the entity, farm, or forest scale, with possible implications for regional and national scale assessments as well. All IPCC AFOLU emissions sources and sinks are included.
Eve M, Pape D, Flugge M, Steele R, Man D, Riley‐Gilbert M, S Biggar [Eds.]
2014
Technical Bulletin Number 1939, Office of the Chief Economist, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.
The Kiosk is a communication tool of the Livestock and Manure Management Component (LMMC) of the Agriculture Initiative of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition. This website presents a platform for sharing resources and news pertaining to manure management best practices.
Global Agenda for Sustainable Livestock
This guide identifies an approach, based on current best knowledge, for addressing common life cycle analysis challenges when calculating carbon footprints of dairy production and diary products. It denotes the key areas in which there is currently ambiguity or differing views on this approach. The guide provides recommendations for a practical yet scientific approach that can also be inserted into existing or developing methodologies. The approach outlined in this guide can be applied in developing and developed dairy industries across the world.
International Dairy Federation; Bulletin 479
2015
Brussel, Belgium
A free to use tool developed for use in New Zealand. It can be used to calculate farm nutrient budgets and greenhouse gas inventories. Overseer farm analysis calculates the flow of all seven major farm nutrients (N, P, K, S, Ca, Mg, Na) as well as acidity for pastoral blocks and delivers GHG emissions and energy reports.
Overseer, New Zealand
The Agriculture and Land Use Greenhouse Gas Inventory (ALU) Software is a free tool developed to assist countries in developing greenhouse gas inventories for agriculture, forestry and other land use (AFOLU) and sectors, including livestock. The tool is based on 1996 and 2006 IPCC guidelines.
Colorado State University Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory
This open-access article reports on a study to compare different approaches to predicting methane emissions from dairy cattle (e.g., using only dry matter intake, more comprehensive sets of variables). Data was compiled from animals under different management systems worldwide.
Niu M, Kebreab E, Hristov AN, Oh J, Arndt C, et al.
2018
Global Change Biology
The Australian Government’s Department of the Environment and Energy has compiled a compendium of approved methodologies for estimating GHG impacts of different livestock (and agriculture more generally) interventions. Methods include: methane destruction using biodigesters, beef cattle herd management, use of supplements, and dietary additives.
Australian Government Department of Energy and Environment
The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) MRV Tool provides developers and implementers of NAMAs with brief step-by-step instructions on how to develop an MRV system. The tool navigates users to the relevant information, knowledge, instruments, and publications available. The MVR Tool is available to download in multiple languages. A slide deck on the use of this tool can be found here.
GIZ
2016
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
The GHG Protocol Policy and Action Standard provides a standardized approach for estimating and reporting the change in GHG emissions and removals resulting from policies and actions. Download options are available, or a hardcopy of the publication can be ordered here.
Rich D, Chatia P, Finnegan J, Levin K, Mitra A
2014
World Resources Institute, Washington D.C.