CBIT | Greenhouse Gas Inventory

What are Greenhouse Gases?

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions refer to the release of gases into the atmosphere that contribute to the greenhouse effect and, consequently, global warming and climate change. These gases trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere, leading to an increase in average global temperatures. Common greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O).

47.09%

Energy

47.78%

AFOLU

5.11%

Waste

0.02%

IPPU

The Bahamas is a low-lying archipelagic nation directly in the hurricane corridor and is deeply invested in avoiding devastation by increasingly forceful hurricanes and generations of Bahamians fleeing its shores as climate refugees.

With the goal of reducing GHG emissions, the country has put its efforts in developing its Nationally Determined Contribution identifying in the process a total of 41 mitigation measures in the five (5) IPCC sectors of Energy, IPPU, Agriculture, LULUCF and Waste.

What is GHG Inventory?

A greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory is a systematic and comprehensive quantification of GHG emissions and removals emitted to and removed from the atmosphere associated with human activities – also referred to as anthropogenic emissions and removals – within a specific geographic area over a defined period of time. The GHG inventory serves as an essential tool for understanding and managing GHG emissions to address climate change effectively. It provides crucial information for policymakers, stakeholders, and the public to track progress towards emission reduction goals, identify priority areas for mitigation efforts, assess the effectiveness of climate policies, and fulfill reporting requirements under international agreements such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

GHG emission and removal estimates are divided into main sectors, which are groupings of related processes, sources and sinks:

: This sector includes emissions arising from combustion and fugitive releases of fuels.
: This sector covers GHG emissions occurring from industrial processes, from the use of GHGs in products, and from non-energy uses of fossil fuel carbon.
: This sector encompasses emissions and removals associated with agriculture, forestry, and land use practices, including methane and nitrous oxide emissions from livestock, rice cultivation, and manure management, as well as carbon dioxide emissions from land use changes and forest management activities.
: This sector includes emissions from waste management processes such as solid waste disposal, biological treatment of solid waste, incineration and open burning of waste, and wastewater treatment and discharge.

National GHG Emissions Profile

The overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in The Bahamas increased from 5,074.09 Gg CO2-eq in 2001 to 6,264.39 Gg CO2-eq in 2018, representing a 23.4% rise. In 2018, CO2 emissions accounted for 94.3% of total GHG emissions, totaling 5,909.18 Gg. Methane (CH4) emissions reached 11.68 Gg, comprising 5.2% of the total, while Nitrous Oxide (N2O) emissions were 0.12 Gg, representing 0.5% of the total.

The Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) and energy sectors were the primary contributors to total national GHG emissions in 2018, accounting for 47.8% (2,993.34 Gg CO2-eq) and 47.1% (2,949.58 Gg CO2-eq) respectively. The waste sector contributed 5.1% (320.31 Gg CO2-eq), while the IPPU sector contributed less than 0.1% (1.08 Gg CO2-eq) during the same period.

The increase in GHG emissions in The Bahamas is likely driven by factors such as population growth and economic development. The rise in tourism may have led to an increased demand for fuel and transportation, impacting emissions from the energy sector. Since 2001, GDP has risen by 56%, and the population has increased by 27%.

Energy Sector 47.09%
AFOLU Sector 47.48%
IPPU Sector 0.02%
Waste Sector 5.11%

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Frequently Asked Questions

Climate change is the change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods (UNFCCC, 1992).

GHG are atmospheric gases that absorb and emit radiation within the thermal infrared range. They play a crucial role in the Earth's climate system by trapping heat and contributing to the greenhouse effect, which regulates the planet's temperature. While naturally occurring in the atmosphere, human activities have significantly increased the concentrations of these gases, leading to global warming and climate change.

The main gases are: Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4), Nitrous Oxide (N2O), Fluorinated Gases

GHG emissions inventories are systematic compilations of data on greenhouse gas emissions from various sources within a defined geographic area, such as a country, region, or city. These inventories include emissions from sectors such as energy, transportation, industry, agriculture, forestry, and waste management.

Due to its location in the Atlantic hurricane belt and like other Small Island Developing States (SIDS), The Bahamas is extremely vulnerable to the effects of disasters and climate change, as some 80 percent of the landmass is within 5 ft (1.5 m) of mean sea level and coastal areas hold the majority of the population and economic activity.

For that reason, it is paramount that The Bahamas undertakes major efforts to increase the resilience to the increasingly devastating effects of climate change and contributes to global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Bahamas is undertaking major efforts to shelter against the effects of climate change and is implementing ambitious measures to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. In 2022, the country submitted its Updated Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement, pledging a 30% reduction of emissions by 2030 and aiming for improving its resilience against the adverse effects of climate change.

Moreover, The Bahamas undertakes efforts across all sectors to enhance its response to climate change.

Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) are pledges countries make to the international community regarding its intended reduction of greenhouse gases and in some cases also its efforts to adapt to climate change. NDCs are communicated since 2015 under the Paris Agreement, and all signatory countries are required to enhance the ambition of their NDCs every five years.

The Bahamas in its Updated NDC from 2022 pledges a reduction of 30% GHG emissions through compared to the business-as-usual scenario in which no action is taken by 2030. It intends to do so by implementing ambitious reduction measures in its priority sectors: Energy, Industry, Transport, Forestry, Waste.

Climate change mitigation refers to actions taken to reduce or prevent the emission of GHGs into the atmosphere, as well as the improvement of carbon sinks aiming to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Mitigation efforts are essential for limiting global warming, stabilising the Earth's climate system, and minimising adverse effects on ecosystems, economies, and societies.

In The Bahamas, the NDC drives the implementation of 41 targeted actions in the priority emitting sectors.

Adaptation is defined, in human systems, as the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate and its effects, in order to moderate harm or exploit beneficial opportunities. In natural systems, adaptation is the process of adjustment to actual climate and its effects; human intervention may facilitate adjustment to expected climate and its effects”. (IPCC, 2022).

In The Bahamas, the NDC drives the implementation of 47 targeted actions in the priority adaptation sectors.

Loss and damage refers to the negative effects of climate change that occur despite mitigation and adaptation efforts. While mitigation addresses the causes of climate change (like reducing greenhouse gas emissions) and adaptation addresses its impacts (like building sea walls to prevent flooding), loss and damage is concerned with the unavoidable and irreversible impacts of the climate crisis.

Climate change impacts and risks are becoming more complex and difficult to manage. Scientific evidence suggests that loss and damage is unequally distributed and not comprehensively addressed by current adaptation and mitigation, particularly in vulnerable developing countries. Multiple climate hazards will occur simultaneously and interact, resulting in compounding risks across sectors and regions.

Climate finance refers to local, national, or transnational financing—drawn from public, private and alternative sources of financing—that seeks to support mitigation and adaptation actions that will address climate change.

Between 2010 and 2020, the Bahamas has received about 155 Million USD from international climate funds and development partners as well as from the private sector to implement climate change actions with 91% of the funding received for mitigation actions and about 9% for adaptation actions.