Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), all Parties are required to periodically report national climate change-related information, which, for developing countries, has been mainly provided through the national communications (NCs). The requirements for reporting have evolved over time, and with the Bali Action Plan at the thirteenth Conference of the Parties (COP), the principle of Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) was applied. From 2010 onwards, the frequency of the submission of NCs from developing countries was set to every four years, with an additional requirement to also provide Biennial Update Reports (BURs) every two years, including updated greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories as well. The first BURs were due in December 2014.
For many countries, the main reason for setting up an MRV system and engaging in climate reporting is to comply with the reporting requirements under the UNFCCC, i.e. in the case of developing countries by submitting NCs and BURs. Most recently, under the Paris Agreement, an Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) was established under which all countries will be required to provide emissions data and track progress of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), with flexibility provided to those countries that need it in light of their capacities. MRV systems will be a significant component in effectively tracking and improving the implementation of mitigation goals and policies (Source: World Resources Institute, 2016). However, besides serving for climate reporting under UNFCCC, MRV systems can have additional benefits for a country.
The discussion paper, National Benefits of Climate Reporting, intends to highlight benefits that a country can obtain through transparent and ambitious climate reporting and a robust and self-sustained MRV system, which go beyond the obvious benefit of fulfilling current and future reporting requirements under the UNFCCC. By highlighting the national benefits that are less visible at first glance, the discussion paper seeks to enhance the understanding of policy-makers and other stakeholders as to why transparency and MRV for climate reporting has merits of its own, and how countries may tap such national benefits. To this end, the discussion paper identifies and describes a number of such national benefits and provides concrete experiences and examples from various countries. Recognising that MRV systems for climate-related reporting require financial resources and personnel at the national level, the benefits described herein may help visualise how the outcomes of this allocation of budget and effort are wider and more impactful than merely the periodic reports to the UNFCCC.