Decision 2013/529 - Decision 529/2013/EU on accounting rules on greenhouse gas emissions and removals resulting from activities relating to land use, land-use change and forestry and on information concerning actions relating to those activities - Main contents

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 165/80

The land use, land-use change and forestry (‘LULUCF’) sector in the Union is a net sink that removes from the atmosphere an amount of greenhouse gases that is equivalent to a significant share of total Union emissions of greenhouse gases. LULUCF activities cause anthropogenic emissions and removals of greenhouse gases as a consequence of changes in the quantity of carbon stored in vegetation and soils, as well as emissions of non-CO2 greenhouse gases. The increased sustainable use of harvested wood products can substantially limit emissions into and enhance removals of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Emissions and removals of greenhouse gases resulting from the LULUCF sector are not counted towards the Union’s 20 % greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for 2020 pursuant to Decision No 406/2009/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the effort of Member States to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to meet the Community’s greenhouse gas emission reduction commitments up to 2020 (3), and Directive 2003/87/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 October 2003 establishing a scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading within the Community (4), though they count in part towards the Union’s quantified emission limitation and reduction commitments pursuant to Article 3(3) of the Kyoto Protocol (‘Kyoto Protocol’) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (‘UNFCCC’), approved by Council Decision 2002/358/EC (5).

In the context of moving to a competitive low-carbon economy in 2050, all land use should be considered in a holistic manner and LULUCF should be addressed within the Union’s climate policy.

Decision No 406/2009/EC requires the Commission to assess modalities to include greenhouse gas emissions and removals resulting from activities relating to LULUCF into the Union’s greenhouse gas emission reduction commitment, whilst ensuring the permanence and environmental integrity of the contribution of the sector, and providing for accurate monitoring and accounting of the relevant emissions and removals. This Decision should, therefore, as a first step, set out accounting rules applicable to greenhouse gas emissions and removals from the LULUCF sector and thereby contribute to policy development towards the inclusion of the LULUCF sector in the Union’s emission reduction commitment, as appropriate, while taking into account environmental conditions in the various regions of the Union, including inter alia richly forested countries. To ensure the preservation and enhancement of carbon stocks in the interim, this Decision should also provide for submission of information by Member States on their LULUCF actions to limit or reduce emissions, and to maintain or increase removals, from the LULUCF sector.

This Decision should lay down the obligations of Member States in implementing those accounting rules and for providing information on their LULUCF...