The Degree Celsius project—more than just a carbon marketIn April 2010 the 56 Natural Resource Management (NRM) groups in Australia met and agreed to work collectively to establish a model for aggregating carbon at the regional scale. The approach, first established under the Degree Celsius Initiative, enabled Australia’s regions to help shape the nation’s emerging voluntary carbon market. This national cooperative approach has been the first of its kind undertaken by all of Australia’s NRM bodies, representing a common purpose across the country.
How Degree Celsius worksThe Degree Celsius Initiative established a regional-scale greenhouse gas abatement and mitigation project involving many land managers working together on the basis of regional NRM plans to combat climate change effects and enhance significant conservation and community benefits.
The Degree Celsius Wet Tropics Biocarbon Sequestration and Abatement Project, developed to first test the international voluntary market, was the first of its kind in Australia. The project was developed through a joint venture between Terrain NRM in the Queensland Wet Tropics region and BIOCARBON Pty Ltd.
The mission of Degree Celsius is not only to reduce carbon emissions through regionally integrated carbon sequestration, but to enhance and protect biodiversity, soil productivity and water quality in the regional landscape.
This innovative approach of the Wet Tropics region demonstrates how the integrated regional NRM activities of the agriculture, forestry and other land use (AFOLU) sector can be used to deliver climate change mitigation and abatement.
The value of aggregating carbonEighty six per cent of agriculture and forestry business in Australia is small scale. The Degree Celsius project aggregates hundreds of small-scale regional carbon sequestration projects and trades the pooled carbon in voluntary carbon markets, or in future regulated carbon markets. Moreover, the Degree Celsius pool of carbon will attract a comparatively higher price for carbon as it is value-added with biodiversity values.
This pilot project used existing methodologies of the
Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC 2006) and
National Carbon Accounting Schemes (NCAS) to assess various carbon sequestration and abatement activities of regional landholders. These activities include:
• avoided deforestation and degradation
• reforestation using native species
• sustainable agriculture practises through minimal fertiliser use.
The next stepAs the Degree Celsius project now awaits finalisation of Australia’s new voluntary market (via the Carbon Farming Initiative), potential carbon sequestration and abatement activities conducted by landholders will soon become a source of income for a wide range of landholders and managers.
These activities will go a long way toward ensuring each region’s ability to achieve the targets set out in their NRM plans.
Sources: An Australian landscape-based approach: AFOLU mitigation for smallholders (book chapter).
Allan Dale (Adjunct Associate Professor), Policy, Planning and Research Leader, Alliance for Better Natural Resource Governance, James Cook University
Degree Celsius first quarter newsletter 2010
The Degree Celsius project—more than just a carbon marketIn April 2010 the 56 Natural Resource Management (NRM) groups in Australia met and agreed to work collectively to establish a model for aggregating carbon at the regional scale. The approach, first established under the Degree Celsius Initiative, enabled Australia’s regions to help shape the nation’s emerging voluntary carbon market. This national cooperative approach has been the first of its kind undertaken by all of Australia’s NRM bodies, representing a common purpose across the country.
How Degree Celsius worksThe Degree Celsius Initiative established a regional-scale greenhouse gas abatement and mitigation project involving many land managers working together on the basis of regional NRM plans to combat climate change effects and enhance significant conservation and community benefits.
The Degree Celsius Wet Tropics Biocarbon Sequestration and Abatement Project, developed to first test the international voluntary market, was the first of its kind in Australia. The project was developed through a joint venture between Terrain NRM in the Queensland Wet Tropics region and BIOCARBON Pty Ltd.
The mission of Degree Celsius is not only to reduce carbon emissions through regionally integrated carbon sequestration, but to enhance and protect biodiversity, soil productivity and water quality in the regional landscape.
This innovative approach of the Wet Tropics region demonstrates how the integrated regional NRM activities of the agriculture, forestry and other land use (AFOLU) sector can be used to deliver climate change mitigation and abatement.
The value of aggregating carbonEighty six per cent of agriculture and forestry business in Australia is small scale. The Degree Celsius project aggregates hundreds of small-scale regional carbon sequestration projects and trades the pooled carbon in voluntary carbon markets, or in future regulated carbon markets. Moreover, the Degree Celsius pool of carbon will attract a comparatively higher price for carbon as it is value-added with biodiversity values.
This pilot project used existing methodologies of the
Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC 2006) and
National Carbon Accounting Schemes (NCAS) to assess various carbon sequestration and abatement activities of regional landholders. These activities include:
• avoided deforestation and degradation
• reforestation using native species
• sustainable agriculture practises through minimal fertiliser use.
The next stepAs the Degree Celsius project now awaits finalisation of Australia’s new voluntary market (via the Carbon Farming Initiative), potential carbon sequestration and abatement activities conducted by landholders will soon become a source of income for a wide range of landholders and managers.
These activities will go a long way toward ensuring each region’s ability to achieve the targets set out in their NRM plans.
Sources: An Australian landscape-based approach: AFOLU mitigation for smallholders (book chapter).
Allan Dale (Adjunct Associate Professor), Policy, Planning and Research Leader, Alliance for Better Natural Resource Governance, James Cook University
Degree Celsius first quarter newsletter 2010