Climate change is occurring with greater speed and intensity that previously anticipated. All effective environmentally and socially sound mitigation efforts need to be employed to effectively address this global crisis. Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) projects can provide significant climate change mitigation benefits as well as poverty alleviation and biodiversity conservation benefits. The policies of the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU-ETS), the worlds largest carbon market exclude LULUCF. Scientific support for this exclusion was presented in a briefing paper published by the Climate Action NetworkEurope (CAN) that puts forward the proposition that land based storage of carbon is ineffective. A careful review of the scientific papers cited in support of CANs position indicates that, while the papers themselves are scientifically sound, they do not support the continued exclusion of LULUCF projects from the EU-ETS. At the same time some important recent research papers that describe the carbon storage and social benefit potential of such projects are not included in the analysis. An in-depth consideration of the scientific evidence is necessary in evaluating this policy option. Based on this evidence a case can be made for the inclusion of LULUCF projects in the EU-ETS.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-009-9202-9Altmetric score:
Dimensions Citation Count:
Publication year
2022
Authors
Haskett J D; Schlamadinger B; Brown S
Language
English
Keywords
biodiversity, carbon, climate change, conservation (storage), emissions
