The reality of implementing an international convention - National greenhouse gas inventories in developing countries

Ratification of an international convention by nation states commits them to specific actions, including collecting and reporting data on which future actions can be based and compliance evaluated, A recent example is the commitment, under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to produce national greenhouse gas inventories, This paper explores the challenges involved in implementing this commitment in eight developing countries, It concludes that great care must be taken to develop inventory methodologies that are appropriate for diverse situations, and that substantial resources will developing countries are capacity to collect the data necessary to develop policies which minimize negative aspects of global environmental change and lead to sustainable development. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd