LIFE OrgFluX-PL „Development of advanced multilevel inventory method for GHG fluxes from agricultural organic soils using spatially-explicit data” 

The Regulation on land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) is one of the key instruments enabling the European Union to achieve its target of reducing emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels, and to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. The EU’s ambitious climate neutrality commitment requires greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and removals data to be estimated and reported as accurately, transparently, consistently, and comparably as possible, for example, by using geographically explicit data and country specific parameters. From 2027, Member States must advance methodologies beyond Tier 1 for key categories in LULUCF inventories. Tier 1 relies on IPCC default values, standard management assumptions, and basic activity data, often yielding higher uncertainties. Higher methodological approaches (Tier 2 or 3) demand country-specific data, models, or measurements to boost accuracy and reduce uncertainties. 

In Poland, spatial monitoring of land use changes and land management intensity poses a major challenge for reporting emissions from key LULUCF categories, particularly drained organic soils used in agriculture. These soils, often peatlands, are the largest source of GHG emissions due to accelerated decomposition from drainage and aeration, which turns carbon sinks into persistent CO₂ sources. The inventories of GHG emissions and removals in the sector concerning the use of grasslands, arable land and wetlands, prepared by the National Centre for Emissions Management at the Institute of Environmental Protection – National Research Institute (KOBIZE/IOŚ-PIB), are so far based on Tier-1 method.  

The main aim of LIFE OrgFluX-PL (LIFE24-GIC-PL-LIFE OrgFluX-PL/101212871) is to improve the quality of greenhouse gas emissions and removals inventories in the land use, land use change, and forestry (LULUCF) sector, with a particular focus on greenhouse gas fluxes in organic soils used as grasslands. 

Specific objectives: :

• Development of a comprehensive spatial information system for monitoring land use changes for the LULUCF purposes, based on spatially explicit national and EU datasets.
• Expanding the knowledge on the extent of organic soils, grassland use intensity, and  drainage, based on ground data, remote sensing, and spatial data. 
• Development of emission factors for grasslands on organic soils based on a series of ground measurements of GHG fluxes. 
• Modelling of GHG fluxes in organic soils used as grasslands, including uncertainty analysis. 
• Making the project results available in the form of an interactive tool supporting the verification of greenhouse gas fluxes in the context of implementing carbon farming. 

• Governmental and public institutions, decision-makers, non-governmental organisations, farmers and companies interested in implementing pro-climate solutions, auditors, operators or groups of operators of carbon farming activities, scientists.

Poland

• Institute of Environmental Protection – National Research Institute (lead partner)
• Institute of Technology and Life Sciences – National Research Institute
• Institute of Agrophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences
• Poznań University of Life Sciences
• University of Łódź

1.02.2026 – 31.01.2030

National Centre for Emissions Management, Department for Emissions Inventory and Spatial Analysis,
dr hab. inż. Agata Hościło, agata.hoscilo@ios.edu.pl, life.orgflux@ios.edu.pl