Project Standards: Permanence & Additionality
There has been a significant amount of debate concerning the role of forest sinks in global warming, and on the use of forestry as a means
of mitigating CO2 emissions. During the course of negotiations for the inclusion of forest sinks in the Kyoto Protocol the key principles of permanence and additionality were established.
of mitigating CO2 emissions. During the course of negotiations for the inclusion of forest sinks in the Kyoto Protocol the key principles of permanence and additionality were established.
Trees for Life : Permanence
Debate persists in some quarters regarding the potential 'permanence' of forest sinks. Detractors worry that:
(1) the mere fact that the CO2 held in trees is not always stored permanently questions whether trees should be seen as a long term solution to climate change, and
(2) the use of 'sinks' diverts our energies away from a more noble quest to cut emissions altogether.
Kyoto addresses these concerns through a stringent carbon regime to which Forest Carbon adheres. Accordingly, most Forest Carbon projects are 'permanent reservoirs', planted not for felling but as a re-greening of Great Britain using native trees. In any case our Forestry Commission grant aid schemes insist on the legal requirement to replant any timber felled for any reason.
Sinks are necessary: the fact must be faced that emissions can never be fully eradicated around the world. This being so it is better to offset unavoidable emissions with native tree planting projects than not at all.
Of all Kyoto Protocol principles, ‘'additionality'’ is the most important. The additionality rule applies to all greenhouse gas abatement schemes that receive financial reward through the Protocol. Where carbon finance turns an emissions reduction or sequestration project from a loss maker to a profit maker then that project is said to be 'additional' - additional to 'business-as-usual'. The idea is to prevent profits being made on abatement projects that, already viable for other commerical reasons, were going to go ahead anyway.
Forest Carbon'’s adherence to the additionality rule is to do with standards and integrity. More and more of the 60% of UK businesses who are not legally bound by Kyoto-influenced trading rules are voluntarily buying carbon offsets. We believe that all schemes - whether adopted by default or by design - should make a genuine contribution to solving the problem of global warming. Hence each new Forest Carbon scheme is ‘additional’ - it will be a scheme that happens only because an organisation has sought to buy the carbon it sequesters.
Forest Carbon'’s adherence to the additionality rule is to do with standards and integrity. More and more of the 60% of UK businesses who are not legally bound by Kyoto-influenced trading rules are voluntarily buying carbon offsets. We believe that all schemes - whether adopted by default or by design - should make a genuine contribution to solving the problem of global warming. Hence each new Forest Carbon scheme is ‘additional’ - it will be a scheme that happens only because an organisation has sought to buy the carbon it sequesters.
The specially made forest : Additionality
