New MRV Platform houses tools, approaches and case studies to support accounting for emissions and mitigation in the livestock sector
Accounting for greenhouse gas emissions and emissions reductions correctly is essential to achieve climate change mitigation.
The MRV Platform for Agriculture provides information to guide measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) systems for agricultural emissions and mitigation, such as for Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
The platform houses a wide range of tools, approaches, and case studies about how to design and implement MRV of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and mitigation actions in the livestock sector. The platform will expand to include other agriculture sectors over the next year.
“The MRV Platform is meant to be a one-stop entry point on MRV topics for compilers of national GHG inventories, developers of national and subnational mitigation actions, preparers of climate finance proposals, and teams in agriculture and environment ministries responsible for NDC implementation and revision. Agricultural development agencies could also use the MRV Platform to track the GHG impacts of their projects,” explained Sinead Leahy, International Capability and Training Coordinator with the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre, which contributed funding and helped develop the platform on behalf of the Global Research Alliance.
Describing approaches that work, from ‘good enough’ to ‘gold standard’
A 2017 review of current MRV practices in the livestock sector found that there was a lack of examples of approaches and methods used in MRV at different levels (national, sub-national, and project) that were applicable for developing country systems. The MRV Platform aims to fill this gap.
“Over 100 countries indicated their intention to reduce emissions from the agriculture sector in their NDCs, and all of them need credible MRV systems,” Meryl Richards, Science Officer for CCAFS and faculty at the University of Vermont, said. “We want to ensure that inventory compilers and project developers have access to the information they need and examples of how others have solved the same problems they may be facing.”
The MRV Platform summarizes evidence-based approaches to practicing MRV. Andreas Wilkes, consultant with UNIQUE land use and forestry GmbH, authored over 30 case studies now housed on the platform.
“The case studies examine how common challenges have been addressed,” he said. “For example, animal weight data are necessary for estimating emissions from cattle. But what do you do when you don’t have those data at a national level?”
This MRV Platform for Agriculture is an initiative of the GRA and the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), implemented in partnership with UNIQUE forestry and land use GmbH and with web design by Clutch Creative. Funding was provided by the New Zealand Government as an activity of the GRA.