Soil Carbon

At present the soil carbon market is not fully developed. Measurement of volumes and permanence of carbon sequestered lacks standardisation. It can be confusing for the land manager who is interested in trading soil carbon due to the number of similar trading platforms. Standards can vary by country and even by trading platform/organisation within a country. Some methods suggest 2-3 tonnes CO2  can be sequestered by soil per hectare per annum, others more than 5 tonnes. There are trading platforms suggesting they are selling at

Nevertheless, the market appears promising as companies, both small and multi-national look to offset their carbon footprint and reach net-zero. Whilst they will try to reduce their operational emissions as much as possible, most will not be able to reach net-zero without the use of carbon offsetting to reach their final target. This creates a demand with significant potential but also a requirement for regulation and consistency.

Soil Carbon Code

The UK Government hopes the open market will be a means of driving investment in environmentally beneficial practices. However, they must address the issues surrounding measurement and the avoidance of double-counting units. While there is no current soil equivalent to the Woodland and Peatland carbon codes, the Government has indicated that such a code is in production. The establishment of a Soil Carbon Code is eagerly anticipated and should aid the market by providing a robust, recognised standard in which buyers can have confidence.

DEFRA and the ADHB are working together to develop a carbon foot printing tool for soil carbon to be applied at a UK wide level. This would address the issue of the dozens of carbon tools currently available all doing slightly different things.

What we can do for you:

  • We have a register of clients interested in purchasing and selling carbon sequestered through soil management.
  • For our guide on purchasing Woodland/Peatland/Soil Carbon units see here.

 

If you are thinking of selling Pending Issuance Units or Carbon Units, whether under the Woodland Carbon code, Peatland Code, upcoming Soil Carbon code or even through a private sector measurement system, we advise you to first consider the likely future requirement for your business to become carbon neutral. You may in future require carbon offsets for your own use, and may make a net loss if you sell the carbon sequestered on your own holding only to buy further offsets from elsewhere.

 

Alasdair Squires

Alasdair Squires
BA(Hons).

01392 823935
enquiries@townsendcharteredsurveyors.co.uk