Guidelines are formally mandated for use in preparing national GHG inventories under the UNFCCC. The 2006 guidelines updated 1996 guidelines. The 2006 guidelines consist of two volumes, worksheets for developing an inventory, and a software tool.
- Volume 1 contains general guidance, including regarding how to deal with uncertainties (Chapter 3), the choice of methods (Chapter 4), and QA/QC (Chapter 6):
- Chapter 4 provides guidance on whether or not to include an emissions source (e.g., a livestock category for which Tier 1 and 2 methods have not been developed but may or may not be a significant source)
- Volume 4 Chapter 10 addresses emissions from agriculture, forestry and other land use. For livestock, it presents updated Tier 1 and 2 methods while also presenting the possibility that a country develop a national-level approach (Tier 3 method) for livestock species of significance and/or that are not already covered by Tier 1 and 2 methods (e.g., alpacas, enteric fermentation from poultry).
- References (e.g. to the NRC nutrient requirements texts) are updated to reflect the availability of new research and data.
- Characterization of regions (and corresponding emission factors) are updated to reflect development, e.g. higher milk yields in North America
- Additional categories of livestock are included, e.g. reindeer, deer, and mink are included in Tier 1 manure management
- Opportunities for improving on Tier 2 methods are highlighted.
- Worksheets are provided to facilitate development of an inventory
- Updated versions of the inventory software can be found here.
The website provides whole site translation is several languages.
IPCC
2006
Prepared by the National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Program
These or more recent (updated) guidelines, are formally mandated for use in preparing national GHG inventories under the UNFCCC. The 1996 guidelines consist of three volumes, each of which consists of multiple PDFs, as well as a software tool:
- Volume 1: Reporting Instructions. Provides directions for assembling, documenting, and transmitting national inventory data. The goal is to ensure consistent reporting.
- Includes an Annex (1) on managing uncertainties in reporting emissions.
- Volume 2: Workbook. Provides guidance on calculating GHG emissions.
- Includes a section (Module 4) on agriculture that describes methods for accounting for domestic livestock emissions from enteric fermentation and manure management.
- The Tier 1 methods and emission factors are described and worksheets are provided to enable estimation of livestock emissions.
- Volume 3: Reference Manual. Collects detailed information on methods for estimating emissions from many different source types. It also provides summaries of the scientific basis for the methods, including technical references.
- Chapter 4 provides details on the basic science behind livestock GHG emissions as well as guidance recommending when to use Tier 2 methods (Table 4-1).
- It also provides a detailed explanation of the factors underlying the characterization of the livestock herd and the choice of emission factor
- Tier 2 methods for estimating enteric fermentation and manure management are described in detail.
The workbook portion of this document is provided in several major languages.
IPCC
1996
Bracknell, UK
This report presents results from a life cycle assessment (LCA) that studied greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions along livestock supply chains. The Global Livestock Environmental Assessment Model (GLEAM) was used in the assessment. This assessment determined that emissions produced by pig and chicken supply chains are relatively low. Mitigation of GHG emissions should focus on reductions in emission intensity regarding scale and rate of growth of these two sectors.
FAO
2016
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: Rome, Italy
This report aims to identify low carbon development pathways for the livestock sector. It objectives are (i) to disaggregate the initial estimates of livestock sector’s contribution and assess the dairy sector’s contribution to GHG emissions and (ii) identify the major GHG “hotspots” along the dairy food chain. This assessment produces estimates of GHG emissions for:
- major dairy cattle products and related services;
- predominant dairy production systems (e.g. grass-based, mixed crop-livestock);
- main world regions and agro-ecological zones; and
- major production stages along the dairy food chain.
FAO
2010
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: Rome, Italy
This report presents results from a broad assessment that was carried out to improve the understanding of greenhouse (GHG) emissions along livestock supply chains. The analysis contained in this report estimates emissions, using the LCA approach and GLEAM tool, and provides a benchmark against which future GHG emission mitigation trends can be measured. It acts as helpful reference, with the caveat that a life cycle assessment is different from traditional inventory and MRV approaches.
Opio C, Gerber P, Mottet A, Falcucci A, Tempio G, MacLeod M, Vellinga T, Henderson B, Steinfeld H
2013
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: Rome, Italy
This review conducted an analysis to evaluate the potential of nutritional, manure and animal husbandry practices for mitigating methane and nitrous oxide (CH4 and N20 – enteric fermentation and methane) from livestock production, including interactions among different strategies. It contains an exhaustive bibliography (900+ articles).
Hristov AN, Oh J, Lee C, Meinen R, Montes F, Ott T, Firkins J, Rotz A, Dell C, Adesogan A, Yang W, Tricarico J, Kebreab E, Waghorn G, Dijkstra J, Oosting S
2013
FAO, Animal Production and Health Paper No. 177: Rome, Italy
This is a global assessment of emissions that provides an estimate (total, by region, by species) of the contribution of livestock to GHG emissions based on modeling using the Global Livestock Environment Assessment Model (GLEAM) tool. The assessment also reports information regarding mitigation potential (by geographical area, by species) and carbon sequestration, providing six mitigation case studies. Its concluding chapter presents implications for mitigation policies, policy-making, and frameworks.
Gerber PJ, Steinfeld H, Henderson B, Mottet A, Opio C, Dijkman J, Falcucci A, Tempio G
2013
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: Rome, Italy
This CCAFS webpage provides data and maps (available for download) and a review of agriculture’s role in the INDCs. The analysis and data are meant to inform national planning of mitigation and adaptation strategies. This website includes information about: agriculture in INDC mitigation targets, agriculture in INDC adaptation priorities, sub-sector targets, livestock systems in the INDCs, cropping systems in the INDCs, agroforestry in the INDCs, gender in the INDCs, and methodology.
CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security
2016
This working paper documents emerging experiences with Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) development and implementation in the livestock sector as of 2015. Examples from several countries are described, as well as potential funding mechanisms.
van Dijk S, Tennigkeit T, and Wilkes A
2015
CCAFS Working Paper No. 105. CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS). Copenhagen, Denmark.
The report reviews available and emerging opportunities for reducing GHG emissions in the livestock sector. Six areas where on-farm animal production emissions can be reduced are described by the report. The report is broken down into twenty-two detailed intervention options. Every intervention area includes information regarding its readiness for implementation (best practice, pilot, proof of concept, or discovery), emissions intensity reduction potential, economic viability, and a summary of next steps, drivers for success and barriers to implementation, and the economic outlook.
Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases
2014
Global Research Alliance (GRA)
