EYE-CLIMA: A Horizon Europe project using atmospheric inversions to improve national estimates of greenhouse gas emissions

EYE-CLIMA is a Horizon Europe project that aims to improve estimates of emissions of climate forcers (CO₂, CH₄, N₂O, SF₆, HFCs, and black carbon aerosols) by using atmospheric observations. Atmospheric observations can be used, with the help of an atmospheric transport model, in a statistical optimization framework to estimate surface-to-atmosphere fluxes – a method known as atmospheric inversion. These fluxes can be used to estimate national and sub-national emissions (and removals) and can help support national monitoring and reporting and ultimately the Global Stocktake process.

One of the main goals of EYE-CLIMA is to develop atmospheric inversions into a useful tool for improving national greenhouse gas inventories (NGHGIs). This entails establishing good practice guidelines for atmospheric inversions (with a particular focus on the national scale) including a full assessment of the uncertainties, as well as developing the methodology to prepare sectorial emission estimates from atmospheric inversions and make these comparable to what is reported in national greenhouse gas inventories (NGHGIs). EYE-CLIMA collaborates with NGHGI agencies on pilot projects comparing and reconciling inventory and atmospheric inversion-based emission estimates, as well as on establishing a good practice for atmospheric observation-based verification of NGHGIs.

This presentation will present an overview of the EYE-CLIMA methodology and the pilot projects with NGHGI agencies. In particular, the pilot projects cover: i) land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) emissions and removals of CO₂ in France, ii) N₂O emissions from agriculture in Germany, and iii) CH₄ emissions from agriculture and waste in France and Germany.