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The Use Of Carbon Offsets

Climate change has now become a top business priority, but other sustainability-related issues can also be at the forefront of an organization’s goals. This is why co-benefits within carbon projects can add extra value and assist in aligning multiple objectives to the right investment. What is the process for co-benefits?

What are the benefits of co-benefits?

Co-benefits offer other benefits that go beyond greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) avoidance and removal by positively impacting communities as well as biodiversity. It is important to remember that not all types of carbon projects have the same levels or types of co-benefits. For example the REDD+ project that aims to save a forest from deforestation may, as result, generate jobs within the region, and protect local biodiversity, whereas an air capture direct (DAC) project might bring in a few new jobs, however it would not provide greater ecological benefits. Read more on carbon.credit.

Measuring quality and impact

There are other things to consider when investing in carbon credits that have co-benefits, mostly around quality and the impact on biodiversity and communities. Some projects are not well planned; just as an offset of poor quality can have a a detrimental effect on the environment, a poorly designed project that includes co-benefits may negatively impact local communities and biodiversity.

Future frameworks could also influence how co-benefits are measured. Currently co-benefits are being measured using the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures’ (TCFD) recommendations are being codified by many financial regulators, such as those from the US and UK. Should the Task Force for Nature-Related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) were to recommend a similar model, then businesses would have to make public disclosures of their effects on nature and biodiversity. In the end, companies who have invested in carbon offsets with poor co-benefits are exposing themselves to public scrutiny and putting their climate claims and brands at risk.

Biodiversity and biodiversity are both benefits.

Monitoring and assessing biodiversity is more difficult than carbon because it requires consistent, precise information from the ground. This can be expensive and lengthy. But, thanks to our collaboration with the Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool (IBAT), the world’s most reliable source for biodiversity data We are able to access essential biodiversity data which we incorporate to our carbon project analyses which include:

Diversity of habitat and species
monitoring tools in place in the area
information on income diversification or improved agriculture to lessen the impact on biodiversity
National and regional threats to biodiversity

Affiliating more than one of your organization’s objectives

The chance to invest in the resolution of multiple sustainability issues in one carbon project could be a massive benefit for every organization, but this is only the case in the event that the credit is of good quality and is able to fulfill the promises made in the proposal. If not, it runs the possibility of negatively impacting the biodiversity of people, animals and the environment.

There are a variety of factors that impact co-benefits and the overall quality of a carbon credit project. When you do the proper due diligence, there is an opportunity to invest in high-quality carbon credits that match your organization’s net zero goals and has the potential to address other global issues.