United States Environmental Protection Agency Information Resources Management (3404) EPA/220/N-95/017 Jan/Feb 1995 &EPA INTERNATIONAL UPDATE From the Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards UNECE Task Force on Emission Inventories The Task Force on Emission Inventories, char- tered under the United Nations Economic Commission For Europe (UNECE), met in Regensburg, Germany, May 31 through June 3. J. David Mobley, Chief of the Emission Inventory Branch, represented the Environmental Protec- tion Agency (EPA). The meeting was attended by 85 people representing 22 countries and 6 international orga- nizations. The meeting was led very effectively by Harald Dovland of Norway and Gordon Mclnnes of the European Environment Agency. The primary purpose of the meeting wasto reviewthestatusofthe Guidebook For Developing Emission Inventories In The UNECE The review, aswell asthe preparation of the Guidebook, was accomplished by nine expert panels which addressed the following topics: strategic overview; volatile organiccompounds; persistent organic compounds and heavy metals; ammonia; mobile sources; verification; and emission projections. Long-term action items forthe Verification Expert Panel intended to redraft the Verification Chapter of the Guidebook by the end of the summerandto finalize both it and the companion report by the end of the year. In addition to definition issues, another activity will be to review and evaluate the various qualitative indicators of uncertainty and to propose one or more indicators for use in the Guidebook. The EPA concept on the Data Attributes Rating System was received with some interest but also with concern about its complexity. The Projections Expert Panel was incorporated into the Task Force forthe first time at this meeting. This blend should be beneficial to all parties, as the activities between the group are closely linked under the UNECE. However, the emission inventory community tends to be technology-based, whereas the projections community tends to be based on economic indicators. The complexity and necessity of dealing with both approaches were recog- nized, which should facilitate resolution. INFOTERRA/USA National Focal Point The Organization For Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Control (IPCC) have issued a workbook series on Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories. Harmonizing UNECE and OECD/IPCC approaches will be a major difficulty over the next year. Since EPA has significant input and influence in both groups, it is assumed that our procedures and results will be compatible, but this issue is likely to grow bigger and bigger in the future as EPA, UNECE, and IPCC methods are all refined simultaneously. The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for Oslo, Norway the week of June 12,1995, in hopes of completing the Guidebook and other Task Force activities. Overall, the meeting was productive and has proven that this coopera- tive effort in devising guidelines for emission inventories is worthwhile both to the Europeans and the United States. For further information contact J. David Mobley (OAQPS) at (919)541-4676. Interested in Environmental Information of an International Nature? Subscribe to EarthUnk, INFOTERRA's electronic news service distributed via AIMn-One. EarthUnk is a monthly update providing international environmental news of interest to EPA staff, with particular attention given to the activities of international organizations. EarthUnk includes information from current news sources including journals, newsletters, and other pub- lications. Recent topics covered included the Komi Republic oil spill, a look at Bhopal, India ten years after the Union Carbide accident, climate change, international negotiations on water, and U.S.-Mexico border issues. For more information, or to subscribe to EarthUnk, send an e-mail message to library-infoterra or call (202)260-3638. INFOTERRA Reference Desk Hours Monday thru Friday 8:00amto3:00pm Telephone: (202)260-5917 Recycled/Recyclable • Printed with Vegetable Oil Based Inks on 100% Recycled Paper (50% Postconsumer) • Please recycle as newsprint ------- NEW BOOKS The following titles may be checked out from the International Collection at the Headquarters Library: Coral Reefs -Valuable but Vulnerable. Wells, S.M. and A.R.G. Price. Gland, Switzerland: WWF-Worid Wide Fund forNature. 1992. INTL QH541.5C7W341992. Diesel Particulate Emissions: Measurement Tech- niques, Fuel Effects and Control Technology. Johnson, John H., Thomas M. Baines and James C. Clerc, Editors. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers. 1992. INTLTD886.5D561992. Electric Power Technologies: Environmental Chal- lenges and Opportunities. International Energy Agency. Paris: The Agency. 1993. INTL TD195 E4E44 1993. Environmental Action in Eastern Europe: The Re- sponses to Crisis. Jancar-Webster, Barbara, Editor. Armonk, N.Y.: M.E. Sharpe. 1993. INTLHC244.Z9E521993. Environmental Action Programme for Central and Eastern Europe. Environment for Europe. Switzerland: The Environment. 1993. INTLHC79E5£87c.21993. Environmental Guidelines forthe Motor Vehicle and Its Use. United Nations Environment Programme. New York: The Programme. 1981. INTL HES611E58 1981. Environmental Policies and Industrial Competitiveness. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Develepment. Paris: OECD. 1993. INTL HC79.E5 E585 1993. Foreign Assistance: Improvements Needed in AID'S Oversight of Grants and Cooperative Agreements. U.S. General Accounting Office. Washington, DC: The Office. 1993. INTL HC60A271851993. Investing in Biological Diversity: U.S. Research and Conservation Efforts in Developing Countries. Abramovitz, Janet N. Washington, DC: World Resources Institute. 1991. INTL QH77.D44A2751991. Man and the Composition of the Atmosphere. Pueschel, Dr. Rudolf F. New York: World Meteorological Organization. 1986. INTL TD883P831986. Nuclear Nonproliferation: Concerns with U.S. Delays in Accepting Foreign Research Reactors' Spent Fuels. U.S. General Accounting Office. Washington, DC: The Office. 1994. INTL JX1974.73 A32 1994. Protecting the Gulf of Aqaba: A Regional Environ- mental Challenge. Sandier, Deborah, et al, Editors. Washington, DC: Environmental Law Institute. 1993. INTL TD171.5.A72P76C.21993. Recent Trends in Automotive Emissions Control. Society of Automotive Engineers. 1990. INTLTD886.5R441990. Some Like It Hot. Markham, Adam, Nigel Dudley and Sue Stolton. Gland, Switzerland: WWF-World Wide Fund for Nature. 1993. INTL QH545 T4M2341993. Tourism Policy and International Tourism in OECD Countries 1991 -1992. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Paris: OECD. 1994. INTLG155.A1 O661994. Toward a Transboundary Monitoring Network: A Con- tinuing Binational Exploration: Proceedings of a Workshop...Haug, Peter T., Bruce L. Bandurski, and Andrew L. Hamilton, Editors. [Washington, DC]: International Joint Commission. [1986]. INTL QH541.15.M64 T68 v. 1-21986. Trade and Environment: Conflicts and Opportunities. U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment. Washington, DC: Congress. 1992. INTLHC79.E5 772 1992. Wildlife Management in the Caribbean Islands. Institute of Tropical Forestry and the Caribbean National Forest. Puerto Rico: The Institute. 1989. INTL SK353 W55 1989. UNEP INFOTERRASTAFF Head Librarian: Elizabeth Behrendt Reference Librarians: Kerith McFadden Felicity Hajjar Jill Mottom (202) 260-5638 (202) 260-3638 (202) 26CV5927 (202) 260-9357 INFOTERRA EPS Librarian: Lara Wiggert Library Technician: Mardlcia Greene Reference Desk: (202) 260-9357 (202) 260-5917 INFOTERRA is contractor operated and managed by the Office of information Resources Manage- ment (OIRM), Information Management and Services Division (IMSD), Information Sharing Branch. ------- |