IWTO Joins Global Call for Split Gas Climate Reporting

The International Wool Textile Organisation has joined agricultural organisations from 14 countries in calling on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to adopt a ‘split gas’ approach when reporting greenhouse gas emissions. This science-based method would more accurately reflect the agricultural sector’s contribution to climate change by separately reporting long-lived and short-lived greenhouse gases.

The coalition, which includes farmers, processors, and agricultural organisations from Argentina, Australia, Cambodia, Canada, Colombia, Georgia, India, Ireland, Kenya, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Uruguay, argues that the current practice of using GWP100 (Global Warming Potential over 100 years) to report Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) creates ambiguity by obscuring the distinct warming impacts of different gases.

Understanding the Science

Long-lived gases such as carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) are ‘stock’ gases that accumulate in the atmosphere over time. In contrast, short-lived gases like biogenic methane are ‘flow’ gases whose warming effect is determined by the rate of ongoing emissions rather than accumulation.

The science is clear: emissions of long-lived gases must reach net zero to prevent further warming, while emissions of short-lived gases like biogenic methane only need to decline gradually to achieve the same effect. Current reporting methods using GWP100 overstate the effect of constant methane emissions on global surface temperature by a factor of 3–4, whilst understating the effect of new methane emission sources by a factor of 4–5 over the first 20 years.

What IWTO and Partners Are Calling For

The coalition asks all UNFCCC parties to:

1. Communicate their NDCs using a split gas approach
2. Complement split gas NDCs with split gas GHG inventories, budgets, and life cycle assessments
3. Support a split gas approach as an outcome of the UNFCCC’s first review of modalities, procedures, and guidelines (scheduled for no later than 2028)
4. Use warming-based metrics recognised by the IPCC to better compare the warming impact of long and short-lived GHGs
5. Support robust discussion on balancing biogenic methane management with food security needs under a changing climate

A Pathway Forward

Uruguay has already demonstrated leadership by setting a split gas NDC, and the coalition encourages other countries to follow this example. The UNFCCC guidelines already permit national GHG inventories to report emissions separately and set NDCs in any form, which can be done in parallel with standard GWP100 reporting.

“Climate policy is fundamentally about reducing atmospheric warming,” the statement notes. “A split gas approach would be a more accurate way of reporting to ensure that agricultural climate policy is on the right track.”

Why This Matters for Wool

For the wool sector, this initiative represents an important step towards fair and scientifically accurate climate policy. Wool production, as part of the broader agricultural sector, involves biogenic methane emissions from sheep. By adopting a split gas approach, policymakers can better understand the actual warming impact of different agricultural practices and set realistic, achievable emissions reduction targets.

The coalition emphasises that a split gas approach does not limit ambitious mitigation strategies for either long-lived or short-lived GHGs. Instead, it focuses policy attention on the actual warming impact between sectors, enabling more effective climate action whilst supporting food and fibre security.

The coalition’s call is supported by scientific consensus, including an earlier initiative by climate scientists advocating for best practice reporting by separate gases rather than continuing to use GWP100 as a combined metric.

As the global community works towards meaningful climate action, IWTO believes that accurate, science-based reporting is essential for developing policies that are both environmentally effective and economically viable for the agricultural sectors that feed and clothe the world.

Read the full joint statement Split Gas Coalition Statement – Oct 2025.

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