The greenhouse gas inventory

Last changed: 20 June 2024
A forest where sun is filtering through the branches, photo.

Climate change affects ecosystems and society. To mitigate these effects, greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced. Greenhouse gas emissions and removals are monitored through the reporting to the UN and to the EU. SLU is responsible for calculating and reporting greenhouse gas emissions and removals in the Land use, Land Use Change and Forestry sector.

It has been known for a long time that greenhouse gas emissions from human activities are the reason for the climate change that has been observed during the 20th century. Since the entry into force of the Climate Convention, and especially after the Kyoto Protocol came into force, efforts have been made to reduce emissions. The goal of reduced emissions is to minimize the interference with the climate system and the effects on ecosystems and society.

The latest international agreement on mitigation of climate change was made in Paris and is currently signed by 194 parties (countries or groups of countries such as the EU). Read more about the Paris agreement at the UNFCCC web page.

Land use, Land Use Change and Forestry

In the slide show below you will see the development of emissions and removals from the Land use, Land Use Change and Forestry sector. The largest uptake of carbon dioxide takes place in live biomass and soil organic carbon. Over time, the total increase in the sector has increased, mainly due to increased net uptake in living biomass on forest land. Read more about in the blue box "SLU calculates and reports emissions and removals from the land use sector".

Sweden's reporting to the UN Climate Convention and the EU

The development of emissions and the commitments made by Parties to the Kyoto Protocol and within the EU are monitored by reporting annual emissions and removals of greenhouse gases to greenhouse gases to the Climate Convention and for EU member states to the EU Commission. This is completed in accordance with decisions taken under the Climate Convention and within the EU using methods developed by the IPCC(Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change).

Today, emissions and uptake of greenhouse gases are divided into five different sectors:

  1. Energy
  2. Industrial Process and Product Use (IPPU)
  3. Agriculture
  4. Land use, Land use change and forestry (LULUCF)
  5. Waste

Since 2001, SLU has provided information for the reporting of emissions and removals from the land use sector. Read more about reporting at the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.

Facts:

The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency is the responsible authority for Sweden's reporting under the Climate Convention and the EU and has commissioned the SMED consortium (Svenska MiljöEmissionsData) to produce the necessary information to fulfill the annual reporting. SMED includes SLU, SCB, IVL and SMHI, where SLU is responsible for reporting the land use, land use chane and forestry sector (LULUCF).

The reporting follows the requirements and guidelines agreed under the Climate Convention and the Kyoto Protocol. Read more on the web page of the Swedish EPA.