Tokyo, Japan, February 2026 — The Kazakhstan delegation participated in the international conference Hybrid Approaches to Standards for BTR Development: Trust and Transparency in National GHG Inventories, focused on advancing hybrid approaches for Biennial Transparency Reports (BTR) under the Paris Agreement.
During the event, Kazakhstan presented its approaches to integrating satellite data into the national greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory, aimed at enhancing accuracy, transparency, and comparability of climate reporting.
The national position emphasized the use of satellite data and “top-down” approaches as a supplementary tool to traditional inventory methods applied under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). At the same time, ground-based monitoring and official statistics collected by relevant government authorities remain the core of the national inventory, fully aligned with IPCC methodology.
Jasyl Damu JSC, the national operator in climate reporting and carbon regulation, actively contributes to the development of methodological and institutional foundations for the GHG inventory system, including quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) and the implementation of advanced analytical tools.
According to the latest national GHG inventory:
the Agriculture sector ranks second in national GHG emissions;
the LULUCF sector (Land Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry) is currently a net sink;
these sectors cover significant areas of pastures, agricultural and forest lands and are key to implementing the country’s climate policy.
Special attention was given to Kazakhstan’s diverse natural and climatic zones, which include arid and semi-arid areas, steppes, mountains, and extensive agricultural lands. This diversity affects the spatial distribution of GHG emissions and removals and increases uncertainty, especially in the LULUCF sector.
Satellite observations are particularly important for:
regularly updating land-use maps;
monitoring transitions between land categories;
assessing the impacts of wildfires and ecosystem recovery;
analyzing methane emission trends in agriculture and detecting anomalies linked to livestock dynamics and crop residue burning.
The conference also addressed methodological and institutional challenges, including differences between atmospheric fluxes and inventory categories. Kazakhstan follows a gradual and balanced approach, including pilot projects in Agriculture and LULUCF sectors and phased integration of satellite data into QA/QC systems.
The presented approach reflects Kazakhstan’s commitment to a scientifically grounded, sustainable, and transparent climate reporting system and strengthens international cooperation in climate policy. These efforts are part of preparations for the 2026 Regional Environmental Summit in Kazakhstan, which will serve as a platform for discussing regional climate initiatives and solutions.
📌 Source: Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan
