Activities of JAXA at the 22nd Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 22) to the UNFCCC – Part 3

On November 14, 2016, JAXA held a side event titled “Efforts toward satellite data utilization for IPCC Guideline of GHG Inventories” at the Japan Pavilion in conjunction with the Ministry of the Environment and the National Institute for Environmental Studies as part of the 22nd Conference of the Parties (COP 22) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which took place in Marrakech, Morocco.

Adopted at COP 21 in 2015, the Paris Agreement requires countries to work toward their submitted greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets and report their emissions. For the calculation of these emissions, we refer to the IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories. However, this guideline is scheduled for revision in 2019. The Ministry of the Environment aims to collaborate with organizations such as the National Institute for Environmental Studies and JAXA to include descriptions of inventory verification using Earth observation satellite data in the revised guideline. With this objective in mind, reports and discussions on the effectiveness of satellite GHG observation data and its utilization were held at the side event.

At the beginning, Mr. Kinoshita from JAXA introduced a list of JAXA’s Earth observation satellites, and a video was shown explaining the mission objectives, observation patterns, and observational principles of the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite “IBUKI” (GOSAT). Next, Dr. Takemoto from the Ministry of the Environment gave a keynote speech in which he presented an overview of GOSAT and its main achievements. He stated that the successor satellite, the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite “IBUKI-2” (GOSAT-2), aims to improve the accuracy of observations of anthropogenic GHG emissions, and to be used for verifying countries’ GHG inventories under the Paris Agreement.

In Theme #1, Dr. Tanabe, co-chair of the IPCC Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (TFI), mentioned that the 2006 IPCC guidelines highlighted issues such as the difficulty of accessing satellite data. However, he explained that the situation has improved by advances in analysis techniques and data delivery methods, as well as the launch of new satellites that have increased the volume of data. He added that the revised guidance considers the use of satellite data not only for GHG observation and verification, but also for land-use assessment. Dr. Eggleston from the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) pointed out that GHG observations require integrating satellite data with ground-based observations and to clarify anthropogenic emissions. He warned that the matter must be examined internationally so that the reliability of each country’s inventories improves and missing emission sources are identified in the future. Furthermore, in Theme #2, Dr. Matsunaga from NIES explained that data gaps are being reduced by the recent surge in GHG-related missions, and that satellite data utilization technologies are also being improved. He also emphasized the need to refine atmospheric transport models, secure resources such as supercomputers, and observe naturally occurring GHGs. During the Q&A session, participants actively exchanged views on topics such as the importance of verifying and integrating data with ground-based observations.

During the presentations by space agency speakers on Theme #3, Dr. Shiomi from JAXA first provided an overview of GOSAT, along with the specifications and development schedule of GOSAT-2. Dr. Ott from NASA explained that the primary objective of OCO-2 (Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2) is to measure the GHG budget. She also stated that its successor OCO-3 (which is scheduled to be deployed on the ISS), will conduct comprehensive observations of GHGs in conjunction with ecosystem data from other ISS-mounted sensors, such as GEDI (Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation Lidar) and ECOSTRESS (The ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station). Dr. Guerard of CNES provided an overview of the IASI (Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer) sensor, MicroCarb (a GHG observation satellite scheduled for launch by CNES), and MERLIN (a GHG observation satellite scheduled for joint launch by CNES and DLR), and stated that these missions would be carried out through international cooperation with JAXA, NASA, and UKSA. During the subsequent Q&A session, the importance of providing reliable data by combining various models with climate and vegetation data other than GHG data was confirmed.

■Speakers of this event
・Dr. Akio Takemoto, Director, Research and Information Office, Global Environmental Bureau, Ministry of the Environment, Japan
・Dr. Kiyoto Tanabe, Co-Chair, IPCC/Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (TFI)
・Dr. Simon Eggleston, GCOS Terrestrial Observations, Global Climate Observing System
・Dr. Tsuneo Matsunaga, Director, Satellite Observation Center, NIES
・Dr. Kei Shiomi, Earth Observation Research Center, JAXA
・Dr. Lesley Ott, Global Modeling and Assimilation Office, NASA/GSFC
・Dr. Pascale ULTRE-GUERARD, Head of Earth Observation Programme, CNES

■Moderator
・Mr. Yoshiaki Kinoshita, Manager, External Relations Strategy Division, JAXA

Presentation materials

1. Program
2. Japan’s initiative to establish monitoring system on national GHG emissions with satellite
3. Current Status of IPCC Guidelines and Issues of GHG Inventory
4. Expectations for Satellite Observation Data to Contribute to GHG Inventory
5. How to Use Satellite GHG Concentration Data for Verification of GHG Emissions Inventories
6. GOSAT and GOSAT-2 missions for successive GHG monitoring
7. Two years of CO2 observations from NASA’s OCO-2 satellite
8. CNES MISSIONS ON GHG MEASUREMENTS MICROCARB(2020) MERLIN(2021) IASI-NG(2022)

Media Coverage

・November 17, Yomiuri Shimbun, Evening Edition, Page 10:
COP22  Greenhouse Gases  Country-Specific Emissions Measurement  High-Precision Satellites  Japan’s Appeal