The IPCC EFDB is an electronic library of emission factors and parameters for greenhouse gases, which was established in 2002, and its creation was approved at a meeting held in Bratislava. The work of the editorial board is very important for the development and expansion of the library of emission factors. The library includes default emission factors from IPCC methodological manuals, extracted data from periodicals that have undergone peer review processes, or are listed in official documents such as government strategies and reports (National Inventory Report), industrial patents, and others.
Why is EFDB necessary?
It is essential that emission factors reflecting national conditions be used when compiling greenhouse gas inventories. However, the development of such emission factors is demanding - in terms of time, finances, and, not least, requiring a great deal of expertise and capacity.
Sharing can cost-effectively obtain emission factors that consider regional and national conditions. An easily accessible library of emission factors and other relevant parameters will facilitate data and information sharing among inventory compilers, experts, and scientists worldwide.
The criteria for including emission factors and parameters are: robustness, applicability, transparent and detailed documentation. The advantage of EFDB is to provide reliable emission factors or other parameters for countries where nationally specific emission factors are absent.
The main activities of the editorial board members are to evaluate the proposed emission factors and parameters submitted in terms of transparency, currency, and correctness of the methodology used, the robustness of the research, and the repeatability of the presented approach. If, during the review process, it is revealed that certain attributes are not met (such as a lack of transparency), the information provider is requested to supplement additional documentation. In this case, the decision on inclusion in the library is deferred to the next cycle. If the methodology used is inadequate or shows a certain degree of error, EFDB members may propose rejecting such a study. Equally important is the regular review of the database content to identify data gaps or areas for improvement. Publications must clearly outline the emission factor calculation procedure (measurement, modelling, etc.), the traceability of the methodology, the reproducibility of calculations, and the originality of emission factors (they must not be copied and should be based on recent sources).
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