The latest Earth observation technologies used for climate change monitoring and carbon dioxide removal accounting were discussed at a conference held in Copenhagen on October 7–10. Lithuania was represented at the event by Marius Balčius and Ernesta Ažukaitė, senior specialists from the National Forest Inventory Division of the State Forest Service (VMT), and Martynas Rimgaila, advisor to the Direct Support Control Division of the National Paying Agency.
The Second Conference on Earth Observation for Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification of Carbon Removals was attended by representatives of the European Commission, the European Environment Agency, and numerous governmental, non-governmental, and scientific institutions.
The event focused on how Earth observation technologies can contribute to improving monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) systems, land use, land-use change, and forestry (LULUCF) sector accounting, and the implementation of European climate policy objectives.
“Events like this empower the exchange of experiences and strengthen the capacity of national institutions to use spatial data for climate policy implementation and carbon accounting,” says Marius Balčius, Chief Specialist at the National Forest Inventory Division of the State Forest Service.
The conference shed light on the latest research and projects related to satellite data, laser scanning (LiDAR), and other Earth observation methods used in preparing greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories for the LULUCF sector.
From 2027, all EU Member States must monitor land use changes in the LULUCF sector using geographic data, as provided for in the adopted LULUCF Regulation No. 2018/841. The topics discussed at the conference reflected the direction of research and scientific work being carried out in Lithuania. The knowledge gained and experience shared with representatives of other countries allowed us to assess the relevance of our work and confirm that our efforts are heading in the right direction in improving LULUCF GHG inventory accounting.
Draft versions of the Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF) methodologies for carbon sequestration farming were also discussed.
During the event, the project GFarm, implemented in Lithuania and funded by the LIFE program, was presented. The project stand attracted the interest of participants, who were curious about the activities and expected results. Martynas Rimgaila, a representative of the National Paying Agency (NPA), one of the project partners, presented the agricultural part of the project, while representatives of the VMT presented aspects of the project related to forests and their potential in the field of carbon certification.
Experts from EU countries discussed how spatial data can help increase transparency, reliability, and comparability among countries implementing climate commitments.