We are pleased to announce the release of a new version of EX-Ante Carbon Balance Tool (EX-ACT): EX-ACT v.9.1.0.

The new version provides more flexibility to the user and embeds additional data that allow for even more robust GHG  appraisals.

What’s new?

• The description tab now includes the choice of the global warming potentials of the greenhouse gases included in EX-ACT according to the preferred reference: Assessment Report 2 (AR2), Assessment report 4 (AR4), Assessment Report 5 (AR5) with or without climate change feedback.
• The description tab now allows to define the Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) level of the analysed area, which automatically updates all the tier 1 soil carbon values in the tool.
• In the Grassland module, the change in animal productivity level is now available for all animal categories included in the tool. Note: changing the productivity level may result in no change of the carbon balance in some cases where emission factors are available only for an average productivity level.
• The Cropland module now allows for full flexibility of choice of residue management options and Definitions tab includes detailed definitions to ensure that the user selects them consistently with tillage practices as recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
• The Grassland and Forest Management modules now include explicit table the values corresponding to various degradation levels for grasslands and forestland have been provided.
• The Help tab contains now an updated list of soil classes in accordance with the World reference base for soil resources 2014 (WRB2014).
• Column formatting is now allowed to ensure the results of calculations are visible even for large numbers.
• A new version of the tool is also available for French OS and French MS Excel under zip file "OTHER" called *_FRENCH.xlsb.

Picture copyright: ©FAO/Luis Tato