National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Country Study—Bolivia

Abstract

This document represents the first Inventory of Greenhouse Gases: Emissions of Anthropogenic Origin for Bolivia. The inventory was conducted according to guidelines established by the IPCC and was supported by the U.S. Country Studies Program. The inventory uses 1990 as the base year and includes the following gases: carbon dioxide, methane, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, and nitrogen oxides. Chlorofluorocarbons are excluded because they are controlled by the Montreal Protocol. The inventory covers five sectors: energy; agriculture; industry; land-use change and forestry; and waste. Emissions from the energy sector are evaluated using the top-down approach. The results indicate that Bolivia’s highest emissions are carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and methane. The land-use change and forestry sector generates the largest percentage of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide emissions, followed by the energy and industry sectors. The agriculture sector contributes most of the methane, followed by the energy sector. Compared with emissions of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and methane, emissions of the remaining gases are low and are considered of minor importance. Because Bolivia’s emissions of greenhouse gases are relatively low, Bolivia’s emissions are compared with those of industrialized countries rather than the rest of the world.