International Classification and Management Systems
1. The United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC) (available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and English. Unofficial translations are available in German, Georgian, Greek, Hungarian, Portuguese and Slovenian) is a universally acceptable and internationally applicable scheme for the classification and reporting of all energy and mineral resources and is currently the only classification in the world to do so. It applies to all extractive activities, including coal, oil, gas and uranium as well as renewable energy, including bioenergy, geothermal, solar and wind. It also applies to anthropogenic resources and injection projects, in particular to the storage of carbon dioxide. Work is underway to broaden application of UNFC to groundwater, hydrogen and hydro and marine energy resources. UNFC provides a single framework on which to build international energy and mineral studies, analyse government resource management policies, plan industrial processes and allocate capital efficiently. By covering all extractive activities and renewable energy, UNFC captures the common principles and provides a tool for consistent reporting for these activities, regardless of the resource sector. Importantly, it paves the way for improved global communications which will aid stability and security of supplies, governed by fewer and more widely understood rules and guidelines. UNFC has generic and sectoral specifications ensuring an appropriate level of consistency in the reporting of resources under the system. Guidelines for accommodating environmental and social issues in UNFC have also been developed. UNFC is a tool that can increasingly help countries and companies attain the Sustainable Development Goals. UNFC has been approved by ECOSOC and recommended for worldwide implementation. UNFC is mandated in the European Critical Raw Materials Act that entered into force in May 2024. The UNFC provisions in CRMA ensure that it serves as a standard classification tool for the various stages of critical and strategic raw materials projects, including exploration, extraction, processing, recycling, substitution, and waste recovery, thereby supporting the CRMA's objectives for a secure and sustainable raw materials supply chain in the EU.
2. The United Nations Resource Management System (UNRMS) (available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and English) is a comprehensive framework to promote sustainable resource management. This system supports the efficient and responsible use of resources in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement. UNRMS is founded on twelve principles that ensure a holistic approach to resource management, covering environmental sustainability, social responsibility, economic viability, and governance. This balance ensures that resource extraction and processing activities are sustainable and responsible. By providing a structured methodology, it aids governments, industries, financial institutions and civil society in achieving sustainable resource use, progressing on circularity, fostering innovation, and enhancing global cooperation. In 2023, ECOSOC endorsed UNRMS, recognizing its potential to advance sustainable resource management globally. This endorsement encourages all UN Member States and organizations to adopt and apply UNRMS principles, promoting its widespread implementation. Additionally in 2023, the Ministers of Energy in the Asia-Pacific region recommended adopting UNRMS, underscoring its importance in addressing regional energy and resource management challenges. UNRMS has also been adopted as the African Minerals and Energy Classification and Management System (AMREC), harmonizing resource management practices across African nations to support sustainable development and economic growth within the continent.
3. The UNECE International Codification System for Medium and High Rank Coals (1988) is a useful instrument to assist in characterizing coals involved in the international trade of coal.
4. The UNECE Uniform Code of Draught Survey and Equipment Specifications for Determining the Weight of Bulk Coal Cargoes (1992) harmonizes procedures and practices in the international seaborne coal trade.
5. The International Classification of Dynamic Phenomena in Mines (1994) helps managers and researchers engaged in mine safety to forecast and prevent the gas dynamic phenomena in underground coal mines.
6. The UNECE International Classification System of In-Seam Coals (1998) determines the procedure of some geological operations related to coal seam evaluation.
7. The International Codification System for Low-grade Coal Utilization (2002) is a helpful tool for coal users in selecting different types of solid fuels and optimizing the combustion process in thermal power sector.
8. Best Practice Guidance for Effective Methane Drainage and Use in Coal Mines (2010/2016) (available in English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, and Polish) provides guidance to mine owners and operators, government regulators, and policymakers in the design and implementation of safe, effective methane capture and control in underground coal mines. It encourages safer mining practices to reduce fatalities, injuries, and property losses associated with methane. An important co-benefit of effective methane drainage at coal mines is to allow for the recovery of methane to optimize the use of otherwise-wasted energy resources. Thus, an important motivation behind the development of this guidance document is to facilitate and encourage the utilization and abatement of coal mine methane (CMM) to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Ultimately, adoption of these practices will help to enhance the sustainability and long-term financial position of coal mines globally by:
- Striving to achieve a goal of zero fatalities, injuries, and property losses;
- Demonstrating the global coal industry’s commitment to mine safety, climate change mitigation, corporate social responsibility, and good citizenship;
- Establishing a global dialogue on CMM capture and use;
- Creating critical linkages among coal industry, government, and regulatory officials;
- Incorporating effective CMM capture as a part of an effective risk management portfolio.
The guidance document is not a comprehensive, prescriptive approach and hence might not adequately account for site-specific conditions, geology, and mining practices. Rather, it represents a broad set of principles that can be adapted as appropriate to individual circumstances. The technologies for implementing these principles evolve and improve over time. International industry best practices are outlined in this document as resources.
9. The Best Practice Guidance for Effective Methane Recovery and Use from Abandoned Coal Mines (BPG on AMM) (2019) (available in English, Russian, Chinese, and Spanish) aims to raise awareness of the opportunities and hazards regarding abandoned mine methane (AMM) by providing accessible high-level guidance for senior corporate, government and financial decision-makers – all of whom play an integral role in decisions to implement best practices. Recommended principles and standards on coal mine methane (CMM) capture and use have already been set out in the Best Practice Guidance on Effective Methane Drainage and Use in Coal Mines. The BPG on AMM complements that guidance and is aimed at completing the coal mining cycle by considering the methane emissions that continue after mining has ceased and mines have closed.
10. Best Practice Guidance for Effective Management of Coal Mine Methane at National Level: Monitoring, Reporting, Verification and Mitigation (2021) (in English) aims at assisting member States with designing national systems to quantify and report methane emissions from coal mines.
Methane is the second most prevalent anthropogenic greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide and its Global Warming Potential is 28-34 times higher than that of carbon dioxide. Coal mining is a major source of methane emissions, accounting for about 12% of global total anthropogenic emissions of that gas. Most emissions come from underground working mines, but those from abandoned mines are raising.
Action on methane requires a solid understanding of emission sources at national, subnational, and local levels. Only with reliable emissions data, can policymakers evaluate greenhouse gas mitigation opportunities, and design mitigation policies in line with their international climate commitments in the context of the Paris Agreement.
National monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) programmes can help countries better understand the contribution of coal mining to their overall methane and greenhouse gas emissions and identify opportunities for mitigation and track the effectiveness of the adopted climate policies.
11. Best Practice Guidance for Effective Methane Management in the Oil and Gas Sector (2019) (in English, Russian, and French) provides guidance for developing and implementing effective practices for monitoring, reporting and verifying (MRV) methane emissions from the oil and gas sector. It also provides guidance on remediation practices. The document is intended to serve as a resource for a broad audience, including owners and operators of oil and gas facilities and policymakers at all levels of government. Its discussion of MRV and mitigation opportunities is intentionally “principles-based”, recognizing that conditions vary greatly across oil and gas facilities and that legal, political and institutional aspects differ by jurisdiction.
The oil and gas industries are important sources of anthropogenic methane emissions and, though methane has a relatively short residence time in the atmosphere, its volumes are replenished continuously. Methane, the primary component of natural gas, can be released to the atmosphere during oil and gas production, processing, storage, transmission, distribution, and use. Because methane has a much higher warming potential than carbon dioxide, effective management is important for countries’ climate change mitigation strategies and is one of the few approaches that represents a significant, cost-effective, and near-term opportunity.
12. The Glossary of Natural Gas Reserves (1996) serves to enhance communication and understanding of terms and definitions related to gas exploration, exploitation and economics.
13. The principles-based UNECE Framework Guidelines on Energy Efficiency Standards in Buildings 2020 (version of 2017 in English, French, Russian) set out concepts that go well beyond the incremental, components approach of existing building standards, represent an outcome-based guidance for energy performance standards for buildings as part of an integrated sustainable energy system.
Website: https://unece.org/sustainable-energy