ICOS published the 3rd issue of the FLUXES bulletin

In June 2024, the ICOS European Research Infrastructure published the next issue of the European Greenhouse Gas Bulletin – FLUXES.

The current issue of the bulletin is dedicated to greenhouse gas inventories and a key tool for monitoring emissions and accelerating climate action (MRV).

The MRV system, which stands for scientifically based monitoring of emissions (monitoring), reporting and compilation of information into inventories (reporting) and verification of independent assessment of the reported information with the aim of ensuring its accuracy (verification), helps decision-makers to assess progress on the way to net-zero global emissions. The EC aims to reduce net emissions by 90% by 2040 compared to the 1990 level.

Scientists from all over Europe are developing effective monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) systems based on high-quality data. Through new projects, they introduce tools for monitoring emissions from human activities and develop methods to monitor soil organic carbon in different local climates and for different climate change scenarios.

MRV systems are developed for a wide variety of applications. They help countries verify their national greenhouse gas inventories based mainly on statistical data (e.g. the amount of steel produced, the amount of coal burned in power plants, the number of livestock, the amount of waste produced), report the results of a certain measure to mitigate the effects of climate change, or monitor the effects of carbon management. Some processes are more community-based and local, while others aim to provide a broader picture and serve entire regions and countries. Some focus on verifying activities for the carbon credit market, while others focus on removing uncertainties in inventories.

ICOS, with its almost 180 observation stations spread across Europe, provides near-real-time open access to greenhouse gas information that can be used for the MRV system.

The bulletin can be downloaded here