On 22 May, the GHG Inventory Management Team convened a kick-off meeting for a research project focused on developing inventories for indirect gases, precursor gases, and Short-Lived Climate Forcers (SLCFs). 



In accordance with paragraphs 51 and 52 of the MPGs, Parties should provide information about precursor gases including carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides and non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs), and sulfur oxides. Additionally, Parties may and/or should report indirect CO2 associated with the atmospheric oxidation of methane and precursor gases (specifically CO and NMVOCs), as well as indirect N2O from sectors other than agriculture and LULUCF.

As the second Biennial Transparency Report (BTR2) is due in less than 6 months, this research project forms part of GIR's ongoing improvement efforts to bridge gaps in reporting the ROK's national GHG inventory and include information on indirect and precursor gases in its upcoming submission.



In fact, the ROK has already been estimating precursor gas emissions for its national air pollutant inventory using the methodology from the EMEP/CORINAIR Emission Inventory Guidebook, as referenced in the 2006 IPCC Guidelines.

Major barriers that have prevented the ROK from reporting this existing data include : 
- discrepancies between the source categories of the GHG inventory and the air pollutant inventory, and
- a preliminary mapping exercise whose verification is still pending.

External experts from Kwangwoon University, Pusan National University, and National Air Emission Inventory Research Center (NAIR) joined the meeting to provide feedback on the planned activities and project deliverables. 



Comments from experts included potential limitations on using activity data to estimate precursor and indirect gases, challenges in combining information on GHG and air pollutant sources into a single database, and the need for expert review regarding the accuracy and consistency of the pilot inventory.