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FAQ: About CAIT
What is CAIT? CAIT is the Climate Analysis Indicators Tool -- an information and analysis tool on global climate change. It provides a comprehensive and comparable database of greenhouse gas emissions data (including all major sources and sinks) and other climate-relevant indicators. CAIT can be used to analyze a wide range of climate-related data questions and to help support future policy decisions made under the Climate Convention and in other fora. CAIT is not a single tool, but a set of tools, each with its own purpose: CAIT was developed by the Climate, Energy and Pollution Program of the World Resources Institute (WRI). Please visit the WRI website or WRI's Climate and Energy website for more information. What indicators are included in CAIT?Indicators in CAIT are divided into three categories: GHG Emissions, Socio-Economic, and Natural Factor indicators. GHG Emission Indicators include annual emissions of greenhouse gases as well as indicators that relate to the historical responsibility for climate change. Socio-Economic Indicators are framed broadly and include numerous indicators that relate to the capabilities that countries may have to protect the climate system, including health, education, income, governance and other indicators. Finally, Natural Factor Indicators represent those factors that tend to lie largely beyond the reach of public policy (like climatic conditions, fossil fuel reserves, and geography), but which nevertheless may significantly influence greenhouse gas emissions. What greenhouse gas emissions data is included in CAIT?At the country level, CAIT includes emissions of (1) CO2 from fossil fuels and cement (1850-2002), (2) CO2 from land-use changes (1950-2000), (3) and non-CO2 gases, such as methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) (1990, 1995, 2000). CAIT also includes sector-level GHG data, broken down by energy (with five subsectors, such as electricity & heat), industrial processes, agriculture, land use change and forestry, waste, and international bunkers. Where does the data in CAIT come from?Many sources, including the United Nations, International Energy Agency, and World Bank. For greenhouse gas emissions, data for a single country may be drawn from as many as seven sources (except for in CAIT-UNFCCC, where all the data is from the UNFCCC). For more information, see the supporting documentation and data links. What is the quality of the data in CAIT?Data quality varies significantly. Generally, data in CAIT is drawn from reputable national and international sources. However, some of the data has inherent weaknesses, including significant uncertainties. For CO2 emissions from land-use changes, for example, the estimates provided are subject to high levels of uncertainty. For more information, please see the supporting documentation and data links. How can I get more information about the data and indicators in CAIT?There are two ways. First, within CAIT, click on the "info" (e.g., "Table Info") buttons on any page, or go to the Notes & Definitions section in CAIT. Second, for more in-depth descriptions, click here to access supporting documentation and data links What kind of analysis can be done in CAIT?Lots! Under the Indicator tables, users can order and rank countries in various ways, as well as specify particular countries or regions for inclusion. CAIT also includes a variety of Analysis Features, including trends, indexing, graphing, and comparisons. What countries are included in CAIT?CAIT includes all countries that are Party to the UNFCCC and two non-Parties (Brunei and Iraq) that are members of the UN (non-Parties are specified in CAIT with an asterisk "*"). All UNFCCC Parties are included in CAIT except Liechtenstein, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Monaco (combined with France), San Marino (combined with Italy), and Tuvalu. For these countries, there was inadequate emissions data. The European Union is also included as a "country" because the European Community (a unit of the EU) is a Party to the Convention. Taiwan (Chinese Taipei), which is neither a UN member nor a Convention Party, is also included in CAIT. This exception is made because Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) is a significant source of GHG emissions. CAIT-UNFCCC includes all countries, including those listed above that are not included in the basic version of CAIT. However, not all countries have submitted data to the UNFCCC. Information on UNFCCC data availability can be found within CAIT-UNFCCC. What regions are included in CAIT?
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