The EU is at the forefront in fighting climate change. Following the commitments relevant for the Paris\nAgreement, the EU has recently pledged to cut off 55% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030 compared\nto 1990 and to reach climate neutrality in 20501. Currently, the Land Use, Land-use Change and Forestry\n(LULUCF) sector counterbalances about 8% of total GHG emissions from other sectors in EU2. Sectors like energy\nand transport are expected to significantly contribute to the emission reduction effort, but now the LULUCF\nsector also plays an increasing relevant role. However, to ensure the whole credibility of the LULUCF sector and\nenhance its mitigation potential, the EU and its Member States need to tackle several challenges related to\ntransparency, robustness and comparability of both reporting and accounting of GHG emissions. Moreover, the\ncurrent revision of the EU climate-related policies will also put the reporting and accounting of GHG emissions\nin this sector for the EU, as well as its alignment with international commitments for mitigation, under focus.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To address these challenges, the Joint Research Centre\u2019s organized the annual workshop on the topic of Land\nuse, Land-use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) with the title LULUCF in transition: present and future challenges\nfor reporting and accounting. The workshop was carried out in cooperation with Technopolis Group on the 7th\nand 8th of June 2021.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The aim of the workshop was to gather relevant experts and representatives from Member States (MS) to\ndiscuss the main challenges related to the reporting and accounting of the LULUCF sector, in compliance with\ncurrent principles and requirements of the EU climate policy. The workshop had both a technical and scientific\ndimension, and it involved DG CLIMA, EEA, representatives from Member States and other countries outside the\nEU, together with scientists and researchers. In total, 128 participants registered to the event and a total of\n115 participants joined the workshop including 19 speakers from around the EU who contributed with\npresentations on different LULUCF related topics.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The workshop was structured into three thematic sessions. Session 1 covered the present challenges for LULUCF\nreporting and accounting. In particular, this session provided an overview of the most recent LULUCF inventory\nat EU level, including preliminary outcomes of the QAQC process, and highlighted the main aspects related to\nclosing the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, with a specific focus on the Forest Management\nReference Level and the need for technical corrections. Session 2 covered the future challenges for LULUCF\nreporting and accounting. This session outlined some crucial steps in the future development of GHG inventories\nand provided a room for discussing the main challenges to ensuring compliance with the LULUCF Regulation by\n2030. Session 3 focused on the contribution from science to the reporting of LULUCF. This session covered\ntopics such as (but not limited to) holistic management of soils, role of Earth Observation in the reporting of\nLULUCF, the accounting of emissions from natural disturbances, and synergies between the Common\nAgricultural Policy and LULUCF inventories. All sessions were followed by specific interactive polls to stimulate\nfeedbacks from participants on the topics treated. At the end of each session, time was allocated to deepen the\ndiscussion.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n