Peat-Emit: supporting developing economies to estimate and report greenhouse gas emissions from organic soils

Accurate estimates of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from organic soils are essential for effective climate reporting and mitigation, yet developing countries often lack region-specific data to support reliable estimates. This report addresses that gap by reviewing and synthesizing the latest available evidence on emissions from organic soils to develop updated greenhouse gas emission factors (EFs) tailored to developing economies. The report focuses on terrestrial emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O), and also evaluates emissions from tropical peatland fires, including fuel consumption and combustion completeness. It covers developing regions in East and Southeast Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Africa, where existing emission factors have been limited or insufficiently representative. Although aquatic emission pathways were reviewed, they were not updated because new robust data is still lacking. By providing region-specific, evidence-based emission factors, and disaggregating emission factors into new land-use and cover types on peatlands, the report strengthens the scientific foundation for estimating emissions from organic soils in developing countries. These updated factors will improve the accuracy of national greenhouse gas inventories and support countries in meeting their reporting obligations and advancing climate mitigation efforts under international frameworks. The report was produced through the Peat-Emit project, established in 2024 as a collaboration between the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the University of Leicester, with support from the FAO AIM4Forests Programme – Accelerating Innovative Monitoring for Forests, thanks to the financial support from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.