An emission inventory (or emissions inventory) is an accounting of the amount of pollutants discharged into the atmosphere. An emission inventory usually contains the total emissions for one or more specific greenhouse gases or air pollutants, originating from all source categories in a certain geographical area and within a specified time span, usually a specific year.
An emission inventory is generally characterized by the following aspects:
Why: The types of activities that cause emissions
What: The chemical or physical identity of the pollutants included, and the quantity thereof
Where: The geographic area covered
When: The time period over which emissions are estimated
How: The methodology to use
Emission inventories are compiled for both scientific applications and for use in policy processes.
Emissions and releases to the environment are the starting point of every environmental pollution problem. Information on emissions therefore is an absolute requirement in understanding environmental problems and in monitoring progress towards solving these. Emission inventories provide this type of information.
Emission inventories are developed for a variety of purposes:
Policy use: by policy makers to
track progress towards emission reduction targets
develop strategies and policies or
Scientific use: Inventories of natural and anthropogenic emissions are used by scientists as inputs to air quality models
Two more or less independent types of emission reporting schemes have been developed:
Annual reporting of national total emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollutants in response to obligations under international conventions and protocols; this type of emissions reporting aims at monitoring the progress towards agreed national emission reduction targets;
Regular emission reporting by individual industrial facilities in response to legal obligations; this type of emission reporting is developed to support public participation in decision-making.
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