The World Meteorological Congress at its 19th session (Cg-19, 22nd May - 2nd June 2023) approved the concept note and established a new global greenhouse gas monitoring initiative that aims to support WMO Members in mitigation actions undertaken to implement the Paris Agreement. This concept has been developed in a close collaboration between WMO and partner organizations dealing with greenhouse gases and carbon cycle.
The Global Greenhouse Gas Watch (GGGW or G3W, hereafter G3W) fills critical information gaps and provides an integrated, operational framework that brings together all observing systems, as well as modelling and data assimilation capabilities in relation to greenhouse gas monitoring, striving to reduce the uncertainty in assessing the efficacy of climate action.
G3W will provide a comprehensive monitoring framework of GHG and thereby address the urgent need for information that helps to understand and access the impact of mitigation actions taken by the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement on the state of climate. Such information will be produced in a timely manner and will take into consideration both human and natural influences on the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Initial focus will be on the three most important Greenhouse Gases (GHGs hereafter) influenced by human activities, namely carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O). Increasing abundances of these gases in the atmosphere are the dominant cause of the observed climate change and related impacts according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC AR6 WG1 Report). Recent (post-industrialization) increases in atmospheric concentrations of CO2, CH4 and N2O have been documented to be driven by human activities. The Paris Agreement, adopted by 196 Parties at the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties in 2015, sets specific targets for maximum rise in global mean temperature and indicates that the means to achieve this target is through the net reduction of GHG emissions.
The twenty-eighth Conference of the Parties (COP28, Dubai, 30th November – 13th December 2023) hosted the fifty-ninth session of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA59). In its conclusions the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) expressed appreciation for progress made and noted under Research and Systematic Observations (FCCC/SBSTA/2023/L.10):
“The SBSTA noted the new Global Greenhouse Gas Watch initiative, aimed at establishing sustained, routine global monitoring of greenhouse gas concentrations and fluxes. It recognized that this initiative is intended to improve the quantification of both natural and anthropogenic greenhouse gas sources and sinks, and to complement emission inventories, noting that reporting and greenhouse gas inventory guidelines are as adopted under the Convention and the Paris Agreement. “
The COP28’s reference to G3W in SBSTA substantially enhances the operational orientation of climate change mitigation actions, from the twenty-seventh Conference of the Parties (COP27, Sharm El Sheikh, 6th–20th November 2022), when the Parties recognized that “{…} limiting global warming to 1.5°C requires rapid, deep and sustained reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions of 43% by 2030 relative to the 2019 level;” (Decision -/CP.27). It further “Emphasizes {…} the need to enhance coordination of activities by the systematic observation community and the ability to provide useful and actionable climate information for mitigation, adaptation and early warning systems, as well as information to enable understanding of adaptation limits and of attribution of extreme events”. Access to improved harmonized information on the concentrations and budgets of GHGs, in part already collected by existing infrastructures, is needed to help countries to establish their commitments and to monitor progress toward meeting emission reductions targets. Responding to COP 27 call requires an effort from multiple agencies and communities to work together, to establish new or to update existing agreements and arrangements between international and national agencies and different bodies under WMO.
The objectives and outputs of G3W are formulated in the concept note approved and included in the 19th World Meteorological Congress’ report1. The 1stGlobal Stocktake4 (GST-1) presented at COP28, already made use of some of the systems that will be foundational for G3W and highlighted the limited progress towards meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement, and this outcome underpins the need for accelerating ambition in their next round of climate action plans due in 2025.
It is anticipated that ongoing and new research to develop capabilities to further separate these net fluxes into source-apportioned emissions will lead to additional operational products in the future. Per WMO's data policy (Resolution 1 (Cg-Ext(2021)) and in the interest of maintaining transparency as required under the Paris Agreement, the data are expected to be made available to all interested users on a free and unrestricted basis.
Figure 1. G3W infographic of the Implementation timeline, scope, and context. For purpose of simplification, only CO2 is presented, while three gases (CO2, CH4, and N2O) are the focus of the G3W implementation plan. |
The G3W Implementation Plan (G3W-IP hereafter) is organized in a way that allows WMO Members to understand and facilitate the actions required within the current financial period (2024-2027) to advance the G3W Implementation and Pre-operational Phase (G3W-IPP) (Figure 1). The G3W Initial Operational Phase (G3W-IOP) is foreseen in the next financial period (2028-2031), including the consolidation of the G3W systems configuration for the 2ndGlobal Stocktake (GST-2) and this is provided in the outlook section.
The vision for G3W develops beyond 2032 in full compliance with the Paris Agreement Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) cycle, that will provide progress assessments towards the climate neutrality goal and ambition. G3W will aim at providing actionable information assisting the countries in their Long-Term-Low greenhouse gas Emission Development Strategies (LT-LEDS), that are providing the long-term horizon for the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
This phase of the G3W development is labelled Enhanced Operational Phase (G3W-EOP) and it aims at integrating maturing technologies from satellite remote sensing, ground-based networks, conventional and data driven modelling approaches stemming from artificial intelligence, with the goal of reducing uncertainties, and increasing the reliability of the GHGs monitoring systems.
The implementation of the plan requires establishment of the working structure that would be tasked with coordination of implementation activities outlined in the different sections to ensure that they are on track and to report to the Commission on Infrastructure on the progress towards the goals articulated in the plan. The working structure needs to include technical experts in GHG infrastructure.
In addition, a group dealing with the outreach and resource mobilization activities is also needed. As engagement of WMO Executive Management is vital, therefore G3W must be reporting directly ongoing and planned activities to the WMO’s Executive Council.
Two governance actions have been recommended by the Joint Study Group on Greenhouse Gas Monitoring (SG-GHG):
| Action GOV1: Create a working structure under Commission for Observation, Infrastructure and Information Systems (INFCOM) for coordination of technical implementation activities. The G3W Advisory Group should be co-chaired by those designated by INFCOM and the Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) and is expected to consist of up to 20 members, representing, the Commission for Weather, Climate, Hydrological, Marine and Related Environmental Services and Applications (SERCOM), and the Research Board (RB) and different areas of the expertise in greenhouse gases. |
| Action GOV2: Utilize the WMO Climate Policy Advisers Group for the high-level positioning and outreach with adjustment to the Terms of Refence (ToRs) and membership to comprehensively cover the G3W topics. |