Emission factors are coefficients that quantify the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions or removals per unit of human activity. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) maintains an open database of emission factors for all source categories to inform estimation of GHG emissions and removals; countries can use these default emission factors to complete a national GHG inventory. However, more accurate emission estimates can be calculated using country-specific emission factors that best reflect the country’s national circumstances.
In 2016, USAID LEAD is focusing regionally on CH4 emissions from rice cultivation by conducting a five-day regional workshop on improvement and development of emission factor for methane emissions rice cultivation (hosted in Indonesia). Scientists and trainers from the USAID LEAD program, in collaboration with researchers from the Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Development’s (IAARD) research center the Indonesian Agricultural Environment Research Institute (IAERI), will deliver the training. Participants will learn methodologies for developing country-specific emission factors for methane rice cultivation and will conduct exercises to develop and learn to apply country-specific emission factors to their National Communications.