NASA shows countries that have increased or decreased emissions: how about Spain?

The research provides new insights into the carbon dioxide released in these countries and how much carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere by forests and other “sinks” within their borders.

On the map aboveCountries that remove more carbon dioxide than are emitted appear in shades of green, while countries with the highest emissions are tan or red. The link https://di.unfccc.int/flex_annex1 can be consulted to observe the development of the said emissions from year to year according to each country.

International research, published Earth System Science Data A surface observation network was used alongside measurements from NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) mission to measure increases and decreases in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations between 2015 and 2020, led by more than 60 researchers. . Thanks to this measurement-based (or “top-down”) approachthe researchers were able to deduce the balance of the amount of carbon dioxide released and removed.

Spain: negligible decrease

In Spain, the study shows that lThe reduction in greenhouse gas emissions has been reduced by 5.87% in recent years, well below the European Union average. over the same period, this was a 36% decrease.

even the neighbor Portugal reduced emissions by 19% and France by 26%. Italy reduced them by 32% and the UK by 49%, similar to Germany.

While the OCO-2 mission is not specifically designed to estimate emissions from specific countries, the results for more than 100 countries are coming at an opportune time. The first global inventory will be conducted in 2023 to assess collective progress towards limiting global warming as outlined in the 2015 Paris Agreement.

Traditional activity-based (or “bottom-up”) approaches Carbon measurement is based on counting and estimating the amount of carbon dioxide emitted in all sectors of an economy, such as transport and agriculture. Bottom-up carbon inventories are essential for assessing progress in emission reduction efforts, but their development requires a significant amount of resources, expertise and knowledge of the scope of related activities.

Therefore, the development of an emissions and removal database, top-down approach (based on measurements) The study authors say it may be particularly useful for countries that lack traditional sources for inventory. In fact, the scientists’ conclusions include data from more than 50 countries that have not reported emissions for at least the past 10 years.

All kinds of publications

The study offers a new perspective by tracking both fossil fuel emissions and total changes in ecosystem carbon “stocks”., including trees, bushes and soil. The data are particularly useful for monitoring carbon dioxide fluctuations related to land cover change.

This Emissions from deforestation alone cause a disproportionate amount of total carbon output in the global south.It covers regions of Latin America, Asia, Africa and Oceania. In other parts of the world, the results show some reductions in atmospheric carbon concentrations thanks to improved land management and reforestation.

The authors note that bottom-up methods are needed to estimate carbon dioxide emissions and removal from ecosystems. However, these methods are vulnerable to uncertainty when data is missing or the net effects of individual activities such as logging are not fully known.

“Our top-down estimates provide an independent estimate for these emissions and removals,” said lead author Philippe Ciais, research director of the Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement (France) and the study’s statement.

The study provides a complex picture of the movement of carbon across Earth’s land, ocean and atmosphere.

In addition to the direct human impact described in national inventories, unmanaged ecosystems with minimal human footprints, such as some tropical and boreal forests, can sequester carbon from the atmosphere, thereby reducing potential global warming.

According to Noel Cressie, author of the study and professor at the University of Wollongong (Australia), “national inventories aim to determine the impact of management policies on CO2 emissions and removals.” “But, The atmosphere doesn’t care if the CO2 is emitted from deforestation in the Amazon or wildfires in the Canadian Arctic.. Both processes will increase the atmospheric CO2 concentration and lead to climate change. Therefore, it is crucial to monitor the carbon balance of unmanaged ecosystems and identify any changes in carbon uptake.”

Looking ahead, the researchers say their pilot projects could be improved to understand how each country’s emissions are changing.

Link to check data for each country: https://di.unfccc.int/flex_annex1

Reference work: https://essd.copernicus.org/articles/15/963/2023/#bib1.bibx27

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Contact details of the environment department: crisisclimatica@prensaiberica.es