GSS EU Science Funding Gateway

The success of carbon farming in Europe will be judged on the quantity and longevity of the sequestration of carbon in plants and soils (by enhancing carbon capture and/or reducing the release of carbon to the atmosphere). To upscale carbon farming successfully, and to establish long-term business perspectives, it will be essential to standardise methodologies and rules for monitoring, reporting and verifying (MRV) the gains or losses in the carbon sequestered. Currently, private schemes apply very different benchmarks and rules to the carbon credits placed on the voluntary markets. Without a high degree of transparency, environmental integrity, and methodology standardisation buyers will be hesitant about the quality of the offered carbon farming credits. Furthermore, land managers will find it difficult to estimate their potential revenues and policy makers will be reluctant to allow the use of such credits for compliance in the regulatory framework. In consequence, it will be challenging to develop a successful market.