Mind the gap: reconciling tropical forest carbon flux estimates from earth observation and national reporting requires transparency

Global Earth Observation (EO) datasets characterising spatio-temporal changes in land cover and carbon stocks provide an independent and consistent approach to estimate forest carbon fluxes. These can be compared against results reported in National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (NGHGIs) to support accurate and timely measuring, reporting and verification (MRV). Using Brazil as a primary case study, we compare a Global EO-based dataset of forest carbon fluxes to results reported in NGHGIs. By adjusting the EO dataset to improve comparability with carbon fluxes estimated for managed forests in the Brazilian NGHGI, initially diverging estimates were largely reconciled and remaining differences can be explained. Despite limited spatial data available for Indonesia and Malaysia, our comparison indicated specific aspects where differing approaches may explain divergence, including uncertainties and inaccuracies. Our study highlights the importance of enhanced transparency, as set out by the Paris Agreement, to enable alignment between different approaches for independent measuring and verification.

HEINRICH Viola;  HOUSE Jo;  GIBBS David;  HARRIS Nancy;  HEROLD Martin;  GRASSI Giacomo;  CANTINHO Roberta;  ROSAN Thais;  ZIMBRES Barbara;  SHIMBO Julia Z.;  MELO Joana;  HALES Tristram;  SITCH Stephen;  ARAGAO Luiz; 

2023-11-29

BMC

JRC135563

1750-0680 (online),   

https://doi.org/10.1186/s13021-023-00240-2,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC135563,   

10.1186/s13021-023-00240-2 (online),