Going beyond carbon offsets

If you take a trip by plane there is often the choice to ‘offset’ the carbon emitted by your flight. The mechanism for doing that is through the buying of carbon credits. Essentially someone, somewhere, has committed to taking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere equivalent to that produced by flying – by planting trees for example. Yet as participants shared in Oxford, it is a flawed system, one mired in scandal, particularly when it comes to nature restoration and supporting communities.

Last week we co-hosted a roundtable at the University of Oxford entitled ‘Beyond offsets, funding for Nature-Based Solutions’. It stemmed from a growing concern about the increasing reliance by companies on voluntary carbon markets.

The focus on using a market mechanism means that corners will often be cut to reach a lower price. That could mean that land rights aren’t respected, appropriate tree species aren’t considered or that wider benefits are stripped back to a bare minimum. It’s a complex system and we heard that often more than 50% of the price of the credit goes to middlemen rather than to where the money matters most. One of the participants from Kenya spoke of the resultant power imbalance between the middlemen and communities. Surely, we said, there are alternatives.

I believe that those who support ITF already understand that our relationship with trees and nature is not a transactional one and that turning nature into a tradeable commodity doesn’t bode well.

At ITF, we believe that two things are important in the carbon conversation.

First, the need to decarbonise, particularly for those that are the largest emitters. We must bend the curve on climate change, which requires regulation and bold steps for companies and consumers to shift to a significantly lower carbon trajectory.

Secondly, we advocate the use of strategic climate funds. An individual, family or company can estimate their carbon footprint and then make an appropriate investment in holistic climate solutions. Those who support ITF’s work are doing just that.

I remember speaking with Wycliffe, ITF’s Africa Programme Manager who really knows the situation on the ground. I asked him how our work might change if we were operating for profit as a carbon project developer rather than as a charity operating for maximum impact. He said that the promotion of threatened tree species would be ditched to save money; the use of local community tree nurseries would go; the work on women’s empowerment and livelihoods would be axed and the schools work too. And with the complexities of the carbon market we could end up planting fewer trees!

We are part of a wonderful community who understand that tree-planting and restoration, when done thoughtfully, can be transformational – sequestering carbon and transforming landscapes and lives.

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