Building a sustainable greenhouse gases inventory system in Macedonia

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to highlight the lessons learned and good practices regarding the greenhouse inventory system in the Republic of Macedonia. Design/methodology/approach – A comparative analysis for the preparation of the three national communications (NCs) to UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Republic of Macedonia. Findings – The findings reveal the shift from a project approach, based on external consultants, towards a more process-oriented approach, where a multi-disciplinary national team has been established to prepare the inventory. Also, notable results include improvements in the technical capacity of the inventory team, communications with data sources and other stakeholders, quality assurance/quality control procedures, documenting and archiving, regional cooperation, as well as, the reliability of data series for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Practical implications – The study may serve well for countries with similar national circumstances and priorities for preparation of greenhouse inventory systems. Originality/value – Developing national database (inventory) of GHGs is an essential first step towards managing better climate change policy planning. A complete and transparent national greenhouse inventory is an essential tool for understanding emissions and trends, projecting future emissions and identifying sectors for cost-effective emission reduction opportunities. It is also a core element of national climate change reports to the UNFCCC (NCs). This case study shows the development of a sustainable system for preparation of GHG inventories and it describes the data collection and analysis procedures within that system.