Chapter 1 - Introduction to the 2006 Guidelines

The 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (2006 Guidelines) were produced at the invitation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to update the Revised 1996 Guidelines and associated good practice guidance which provide internationally agreed methodologies intended for use by countries to estimate greenhouse gas inventories to report to the UNFCCC. This chapter provides an introduction to the 2006 Guidelines for a broad range of users, including countries and inventory compilers setting out to prepare inventory estimates for the first time. Sections 1.1 to 1.3 describe the overarching framework of these Guidelines, focusing on scope, approach, and structure. Sections 1.4 through 1.5 present step-by-step guidance on how to use the 2006 Guidelines for compiling a greenhouse gas inventory.