ITMS User Meeting at the German Environment Agency (UBA)
On 7 and 8 September 2026, the annual ITMS User Meeting took place at the German Environment Agency (UBA) in Dessau-Roßlau. The meeting focused on direct exchange with users from UBA and the Thünen Institute. Requirements, questions, and feedback on the Integrated Greenhouse Gas Monitoring System for Germany (ITMS) were collected and discussed. In addition, results from the European research project PARIS were presented.
Over the two days, the participating partners presented recent progress and results. Key topics included advances in inversion modelling for CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O, comparisons of inversion results from ITMS and the Horizone Europe Projects PARIS, EYE-CLIMA and AVENGERS with the national greenhouse gas inventory, and new approaches to improve the quantification of greenhouse gas sources and sinks. A central question throughout the meeting was how ITMS results can be used most effectively in the future to support national emission inventories.
Further presentations covered improvements in the mapping of aquatic emissions and in the Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) sector. Additional analyses helped to improve the understanding of differences between atmospheric inversion results. Intensive discussions also explored opportunities for closer cooperation between research institutions and public authorities.
In addition to the scientific presentations, the meeting provided plenty of room for lively discussions and networking among the participants. Feedback from the participants highlighted the importance of this format: the User Meeting creates a direct link between research and practice and helps ensure that ITMS results can be used in a targeted way for greenhouse gas reporting and as a basis for climate policy decisions.
We would like to thank the German Environment Agency for its hospitality and look forward to continuing the constructive and engaging exchange with UBA, Thünen Institute and international projects on GHG monitoring.