Today more than ever, we are becoming aware of how we have reached a point where the human footprint is affecting the earth at a geological scale. Facing this can be overwhelming and leave people in a state of hopelessness. Instead of solely focusing on the negative impacts caused by climate change, it is crucial to take a solutions based approach and be empowered by all the people taking steps towards a low carbon and sustainable future.
We are presently at a tipping point; what we do in the next 50 years will shape what the next 10,000 years looks like, therefore it is crucial to understand where we are right now. We know that to keep temperature rise below 1.5C within this century we need to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. The climate law developed by Johan Rockstrom at the Stockholm Resilience Center maps out what we need to do to achieve this. Exponential change is required, and from 2020 onwards everyone needs to start halving their emissions each decade. This expectation does not fall on large corporates alone and we can’t simply rely on the government to make these changes, we all have a part to play.
Carbon footprint measurement allows for effective and focused reduction efforts, therefore it is a great starting point for businesses and households. This measurement process analyses current activities and derives the associated greenhouse gas emissions. Through measuring these we are able to establish our baseline emissions. From here the next step is to think about how we can set reduction targets for particular emissions hotspots and begin to reduce these over time.
For businesses, a suggested model is to measure your previous years emissions; take responsibility for these through offsetting; and then look to reduce what you can over the next year.
One method of carbon credit production is throught reforestation and rainforest protection. To operate within the carbon market these projects and their carbon claims must be measured, verified and certified. The carbon sequestration that occurs through photosynthesis within these projects is converted and issued as carbon credits. One tonne of sequestered carbon results in one carbon credit. These credits are held in a registry. When a consumer offsets their carbon emissions through the purchasing of carbon credits, these credits are permanently cancelled and are no longer available for purchase (this avoids any risk of double counting).
When purchasing carbon credits, the consumer should be aware that there are differences in quality. Carbon credits can be sourced from industrial forestry projects (harvested at maturity) or they can be sourced from permanent indigenous reforestation and/or rainforest protection projects. Whilst industrial forestry projects have a number of negative environmental and social impacts such as increased erosion, sedimentation of waterways and increased unemployment in rural areas, permanent indigenous projects result in many positive environmental and social co-benefits through the restoration of erosion prone lands, improved biodiversity, climate resilience and economic diversification for land-owners.
Like fair-trade or organic products, carbon credits sourced from indigenous projects come at a higher premium in comparison with the industrial forestry credits. Therefore it is crucial for a consumer to understand the importance of sourcing their carbon credits from indigenous projects.
The core message from us is to reduce what you can, offset what you can’t, and join the reforestation and rainforest protection campaign.
If people are wanting to look for more empowering information in the climate change space we would recommend checking these out:
https://www.stockholmresilience.org/ the team at the Stockholm Resilience Centre are global leaders in sustainability and climate change adaptation. Check out some of their publications for the most up to date solutions
https://forthewild.world/ For the wild is an inspiring podcast which features interviews with change makers and visionaries from around the world focusing on land based protection, co-liberation and intersectional storytelling for a bright future.
https://www.drawdown.org/solutions-summary-by-rank. Project Drawdown is a global research organisation that identifies, reviews and analyses the most viable solutions to climate change, and shares these findings with the world. The top 100 solutions list is an incredible educational resource, providing ideas on effective areas for individuals to target in their day to day lives.
To download a carbon footprint calculator, head to www.ekos.org.nz
Ekos is a social enterprise that provides carbon management services and develops indigenous forest carbon projects in Aotearoa and the Pacific Islands.
