Emissions
of non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOC)
CC-9
Climate
Change
Pressure
1 Indicator
definition and unit of measurement
Total
emissions of non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOC) from the sectors
energy, industrial processes, solvent and other product use, agriculture, land
use change and forestry, and waste (as defined by IPCC
[14]).
The unit of measurement is tonnes NMVOCs per year.
2 Placement
in the framework
5EAP:
Chapter
5: The themes and targets of the programme, section 5.1: Climate change and
section 5.2: Acidification and air quality.
Agenda
21:
Chapter
9: Protection of the atmosphere, section 2: Conservation and management of
resources for development.
International
conventions and agreements:
The
UNFCCC (New York, 1992); the UNECE LRTAP (Geneva, 1979) convention and its 1991
Geneva Protocol concerning the Control of Emissions of Volatile Organic
Compounds.
Draft
directive on reduction of VOC emissions (COM (96) 538 - 96/0276 SYN, OJ C 99 of
26. March 1997).
Ranking:
Core
ranking:
9
(16%)
Policy
Relevance:
5
(2.9)
Analytical
Soundness:
9
(2.7)
Responsiveness:
9
(2.6)
Most
appropriate related state indicator:
Tropospheric
ozone concentrations, global temperature.
3 Significance
Purpose:
NMVOCs
are not direct greenhouse gases, but they increase the formation of
tropospheric ozone and contribute thus indirectly to radiative forcing. The
main purpose of this indicator is to monitor total anthropogenic NMVOC emissions.
Relevance:
Changes
in tropospheric ozone concentrations are spatially variable, i.e. both
regionally and vertically. Currently, it is not yet possible to quantify the
Global Warming Potential for the indirect effects of NMVOCs.
See
also 3. Relevance of the Methodology sheet for CO
2.
Linkages
to other pressure indicators:
The
indicator is linked to the indicators of other greenhouse gases, to the themes
Air Pollution (AP-2) and Urban Environmental Problems.
Targets:
The
EU target for VOCs (note that this includes methane) amounts to a 10% reduction
of man-made emissions in 1996 and a 30% reduction (1990 level) in 1999.
4 Methodological
description and underlying definitions
Underlying
definitions and concepts:
The
main source of NMVOC is the combustion of fossil fuels.
Measurement
methods:
The
1996 “Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories” have been
formally adopted by the IPCC as the international method to estimate emissions.
Limitations
of the indicator:
The
Global Warming Potential for the indirect effects of NMVOC is not yet
quantified. Therefore, the definition of a weighting factor to add this
indicator to the other climate change indicators will be difficult.
Alternative
definitions:
None.
[14]
Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change
