Implementing Greenhouse Gas Inventory Management Systems for Economic Zones in China

The report outlines a comprehensive approach for Chinese economic zones to implement GHG inventory management systems, focusing on the cycle of planning, inventory development, and zone management. It emphasizes the need for clear coverage and targets, institutional coordination, and stakeholder engagement to overcome barriers such as limited technical capacity and inadequate data-gathering systems. The document details the technical process of inventory development—including source identification, data collection using emission factors, and quality assurance—and provides a framework for verification and GHG projections to evaluate the effectiveness of mitigation policies.

• The implementation of GHG inventory systems in China is decentralized, with provinces and municipalities responsible for monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV), while the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) provides guiding documents.
• Coverage for GHG inventory programs in China is often defined by emission thresholds; for instance, the NDRC has identified entities emitting more than 13,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) per year.
• Target allocation can be 'top-down', where a target is set by a higher authority and distributed, or 'bottom-up', which identifies low-cost mitigation options across facilities to lower overall compliance costs.
• Effective inventory development requires a tiered methodology approach, where higher tiers provide more accurate estimates but require more detailed data and technical expertise.
• Common barriers to effective GHG inventory systems in Chinese economic zones include limited technical and analytical capacity for reporting entities, inadequate data-gathering systems, and a lack of political will or trust from reporting entities.
• Verification of GHG inventories in China's pilot carbon trading programs is currently conducted by independent third parties, typically using the ISO 14064-3 verification standard.

APA

Stiebert, S. (2015). Implementing Greenhouse Gas Inventory Management Systems for Economic Zones in China. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/ghg-inventory-management-systems-economic-zones-china-en.pdf

Chicago

Stiebert, Seton. Implementing Greenhouse Gas Inventory Management Systems for Economic Zones in China. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2015. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/ghg-inventory-management-systems-economic-zones-china-en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Stiebert |first1=Seton |title=Implementing Greenhouse Gas Inventory Management Systems for Economic Zones in China |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=March 2015 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/ghg-inventory-management-systems-economic-zones-china-en.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stiebert2015implementing, author = {Stiebert, Seton}, title = {{Implementing Greenhouse Gas Inventory Management Systems for Economic Zones in China}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2015}, month = mar, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/ghg-inventory-management-systems-economic-zones-china-en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }