WEBINAR: Carbon Farming — Why carbon markets won't work for farmers and the climate

Watch a recording of the webinar here. 

Join us for a free webinar open to the public on March 23 organized by IATP and the European Coordination of La Via Campesina (ECVC). 

Description du webinaire en français ci-dessous. 

Beschreibung des Webinars auf Deutsch unten. 

Webinar Translations

EN-DE, EN-FR 

Webinar Description 

The European Commission (EC) has proposed carbon farming as a major strategy to help the EU remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The EC hopes to certify carbon credits to help meet its net zero goal by 2050. A central part of this plan is the certification of carbon credits for agriculture, sold on carbon markets and bought by corporations and investors. The EC will unveil a carbon removals certification legislation later this year. The EC communication states: “an increasing number of private carbon farming initiatives have emerged where the land managers sell carbon credits on voluntary carbon markets. The potential for carbon farming is significant and it is the right moment to scale up high quality supply at EU level.”

Yet, carbon farming credits have had a problematic history for more than a decade. What is the state of the science and economic costs of measuring and accounting for carbon farming? What has been the experience of farmers, and have carbon farming credits been effective in reducing GHGs? Why does a carbon market approach for agriculture undermine a shift towards agroecology, farmers’ choices and climate ambition? What is the way forward and how can the EU best support farmers and climate action? 

These are some of the critical questions that will be addressed in this webinar. Farmers, experts and policymakers from the U.S., Canada and the EU will share their knowledge and perspectives on carbon markets for agriculture. They will discuss how governments can support farmers and a transformative agriculture agenda while ramping up climate ambition.   

Webinar Organizers

Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) & European Coordination of La Via Campesina (ECVC)

The webinar will be recorded and the recording will be sent to attendees and registrants. 

Moderator

Shefali Sharma, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy

Speakers 

• Freya Chay, CarbonPlan  
• Darrin Qualman, National Farmers Union Canada 

Expert Panel

• Ben Lilliston, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy 
• Attila Szocs, farmer, Eco Ruralis (Member of ECVC)
• Myrto Tilianaki, CCFD-Terre Solidaire  
• Benoit Biteau, Member of the European Parliament for the Greens/EFA, Vice-Chair of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development
• Maria Noichl, Member of the European Parliament for the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, Member of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development
• John Peck, Executive Director of Family Farm Defenders

Find the expert panel and speakers' bios below. 

Shefali Sharma — IATP Europe, Director 

Shefali Sharma is the director of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) European office. From the global production of feed grains to meat processing and retail, her current work and publications focus on the economic, social and environmental impacts of the global meat and dairy industries.

Freya Chay — CarbonPlan, Program Analyst   

Freya Chay is a Program Analyst at CarbonPlan, a non-profit climate science research organization. Freya's research is focused on improving the transparency and scientific integrity of carbon removal and carbon markets through open data and tools. 

Darren Qualman — National Farmers Union Canada, Director of Climate Crisis Policy and Action 

Darrin Qualman is Director of Climate Crisis Policy and Action for the National Farmers Union. He is the author of the 2019 report Tackling the Farm Crisis and the Climate Crisis and the 2019 book Civilization Critical: Energy, Food, Nature, and the Future. He farmed for two decades and has academic degrees in history, biology and political studies. 

Ben Lilliston — Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Director of Rural Strategies  

Ben Lilliston is the director of rural strategies and climate change at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. Ben reports, analyzes and writes about the intersection of climate, agriculture and trade policy. He works with Midwest, national and international partners to build a policy framework for a just transition for farmers and rural communities in responding to the climate crisis.  

Attila Szöcs — Eco Ruralis (member of Via Campesina) 

Attila Szocs is a young peasant farmer from central Transylvania, Romania growing and processing traditional varieties of  fruits trees and vegetables. He is president of Eco Ruralis — national association of agroecological peasant farmers counting currently almost 17 thousand members. Eco Ruralis focuses to aid the capacity of peasants to collectively defend themselves against unfair and unequal actions taken by corporations and governments. He is also a member of the Coordination Committee of the European Coordination Via Campesina which is a European grassroots organization which currently gathers 31 national and regional farmer, farm worker and rural organizations based in 21 European countries. Attila is actively working on issues regarding land, agroecology and public policies in the ECVC. 

Myrto Tilianaki - CCFD-Terre Solidaire, Climate Justice and Food Sovereignty Advocacy Officer

Myrto Tilianaki is Climate Justice and Food Sovereignty advocacy officer for the French NGO CCFD – Terre Solidaire. Her work focuses on climate issues related to land and human rights. Prior to joining CCFD – Terre Solidaire Myrto worked in Advocacy and Communications at Human Rights Watch UK and in Press and Communications for Médecins sans Frontières. She holds a Master's degree in International Cooperation and Development Policies from the University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne and a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Athens and the University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne.

Benoit Biteau – Member of the European Parliament for the Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance, Vice-Chair of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

Benoît Biteau comes from a line of farmers on the banks of the river Seudre, in the heart of the prestigious Marennes-Oléron oyster basin and its remarkable wetlands. As an agricultural engineer, agronomy is his transversal skill, but he is also a specialist in genetics, ecology and water management. After many professional experiences in the public and private sectors, in the world of economic development, research and the preservation of living heritage, he became a farmer at the age of 40 on a very intensive farm that he successfully converted to agro-ecology. Vice-president of the French Region Poitou-Charentes in 2010, he demonstrates that courageous and daring public policies can significantly accompany a profound change in agricultural practices, following the results obtained on his farm. As First Vice-President of the Agriculture Committee and member of the Fisheries and Development Committees, he intends to enable these fundamental changes at continental level, particularly via the CAP, in order to reconcile man and nature, land and sea, agriculture and citizens, through the emergence of approaches that respect balances, resources and water, biodiversity, climate and health.

Maria Noichl – Member of the European Parliament for the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

Maria Noichl (S&D) is a German member of the European Parliament. She is a member of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development as well as the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality where she is the coordinator for the S&D group. She was also a member of the Committee of Inquiry on the Protection of Animals during Transport. Furthermore, she is Vice-President of the Intergroup on the Welfare and Conservation of Animals. Maria Noichl was the S&D shadow rapporteur for the Common Agricultural Policy’s Strategic Plan Regulation. Prior to her decision to run for the European Parliament, she was a representative of the Bavarian Parliament and the spokesperson for agriculture and forestry. She used to work as a teacher for nutrition and handicrafts.

Agriculture Carbone: Pourquoi les marchés du carbone ne fonctionneront pas pour les agriculteurs et le climat

Date et Heure

Mercredi 23 Mars 2022, 15:00-17:00 CET / 9:00-11:00 CT

Trouver votre fuseau horaire ici. 

Avec interprétation directe française et anglaise. 

INSCRIVEZ VOUS ICI.

Description du Webinaire

La Commission européenne (CE) a proposé l'agriculture carbone comme stratégie majeure pour aider l'UE à éliminer le dioxyde de carbone de l'atmosphère. La CE espère certifier des crédits carbones pour l'aider à atteindre son objectif de zéro émissions nettes d'ici 2050. Un élément central de ce plan est la certification de crédits carbone pour l'agriculture, vendus sur les marchés du carbone et achetés par des entreprises et des investisseurs. La CE dévoilera une législation sur la certification des absorptions de carbone plus tard dans l'année. La communication de la CE indique « qu’un nombre croissant d'initiatives privées d'agriculture carbone ont vu le jour, dans le cadre desquelles les gestionnaires des terres vendent des crédits carbone sur des marchés volontaires du carbone. Le potentiel de l'agriculture carbone est significatif et le moment est venu d'augmenter l'offre de haute qualité au niveau de l'UE."

Pourtant, cela fait une décennie que l’histoire des crédits de l'agriculture carbone est problématique. Quel est l'état de la science et des coûts économiques de la mesure et de la comptabilisation de l'agriculture carbone ? Quelle a été l'expérience des agriculteurs et agricultrices ? Les crédits de carbone agricole ont-ils été efficaces pour réduire les GES ? Pourquoi l'approche d’un marché du carbone pour l'agriculture compromet-elle un transition agroécologique, les choix des agriculteurs et l'ambition climatique ? Quelle est la voie à suivre et comment l'UE peut-elle soutenir au mieux les agriculteurs et l'action climatique ? 

Ce sont quelques-unes des questions essentielles qui seront abordées lors de ce webinaire. Des agriculteurs et agricultrices, des expert.e.s et des décideurs et décideuses politiques des États-Unis, du Canada et de l'UE partageront leurs connaissances et leurs perspectives sur les marchés du carbone agricole. Ils discuteront de la manière dont les gouvernements peuvent soutenir les agriculteurs et agricultrices ainsi qu’un programme de transition agricole tout en renforçant leur ambition climatique.  

Organisateurs

Institut pour la politique agricole et commerciale (IATP) & Coordination européenne de La Via Campesina (ECVC) 

Modératrice

Shefali Sharma, Institut pour la politique agricole et commerciale

Orateurs et oratrices

• Freya Chay, Plan Carbone
• Darrin Qualman, Syndicat national des paysans du Canada

Panel d'experts 

• Ben Lilliston, Institut pour la politique agricole et commerciale
• Attila Szocs, farmer, Eco Ruralis (Représentant du Comité de Coordination d’ECVC)
• Myrto Tilianaki, CCFD-Terre Solidaire  
• Benoit Biteau, Membre du Parlement européen pour les Verts/ALE, Vice-président de la Commission de l'agriculture et du développement rural (présentation en français avec interprétation)
• Maria Noichl, Membre du Parlement européen pour S&D
• John Peck, Family Farm Defenders

Carbon Farming: Warum Kohlenstoffmärkte weder für Landwirt*innen noch für das Klima funktionieren werden

Datum und Zeit

Mittwoch, 23. März 2022

15.00-17.00 Uhr CET / 9.00-11.00 CT

Finden Sie Ihre Zeitzone hier.

HIER REGISTRIEREN.

Webinar Beschreibung

Die Europäische Kommission (EK) will mit Carbon Farming als Kernstrategie dazu beitragen, in der Europäischen Union Kohlendioxid aus der Atmosphäre zu entfernen. Die EK hofft, Kohlenstoffgutschriften (carbon credits) zu zertifizieren, um ihr Ziel von Netto-Null-Emissionen bis 2050 zu erreichen. Ein zentraler Bestandteil dieses Plans ist die Zertifizierung von Kohlenstoffgutschriften in der Landwirtschaft, die auf Kohlenstoffmärkten verkauft und dann von Unternehmen und Investoren gekauft werden sollen. Die EK wird noch in diesem Jahr ein Gesetz zur Zertifizierung von Kohlenstoffentnahme vorlegen. In der Kommunikation der EK heißt es: „…es ist eine wachsende Zahl privater Carbon-Farming-Initiativen entstanden, durch die Landbewirtschafter Kohlenstoffgutschriften auf freiwilligen Kohlenstoffmärkten verkaufen. Das Potential von Carbon Farming ist beträchtlich, und es ist der richtige Zeitpunkt, um ein hochwertiges Angebot auf EU-Ebene zu schaffen."

Jedoch weisen Emissionszertifikate durch Carbon Farming seit mehr als einem Jahrzehnt eine problematische Geschichte auf. Was ist der Stand der Wissenschaft und wie hoch sind die wirtschaftlichen Kosten für die Messung und Bilanzierung von Carbon Farming? Welche Erfahrungen haben Landwirt*innen gemacht, und haben die Emissionszertifikate aus Carbon Farming wirksam zur Verringerung der Treibhausgasemissionen beigetragen? Warum untergräbt ein Kohlenstoffmarktkonzept für die Landwirtschaft die Transformation hin zur Agroökologie, die Wahlmöglichkeiten der Landwirt*innen und die Klimaschutzziele? Wie geht es weiter und wie kann die EU die Landwirt*innen und den Klimaschutz am besten unterstützen? Das und mehr werden wir mit Landwirt*innen und Expert*innen aus den Vereinigten Staaten, Kanada und der Europäischen Union, sowie mit Mitgliedern des Europäischen Parlaments diskutieren.

Organisatoren

Institute für Agrar- und Handelspolitik (Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, IATP) & Europäische Koordinierung von La Via Campesina (ECVC)

Moderation

Shefali Sharma, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy

Referent*innen

• Freya Chay, CarbonPlan
• Darrin Qualman, National Farmers Union Canada

Expert*innenrunde

• Ben Lilliston, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
• Attila Szocs, Landwirt, Eco Ruralis (Mitglied von ECVC)
• Myrto Tilianaki, CCFD-Terre Solidaire
• Benoit Biteau, Mitglied des Europäischen Parlaments für Grüne/EFA, stellvertretender Vorsitzender des Ausschusses für Landwirtschaft und ländliche Entwicklung (auf Französisch mit Übersetzung)
• Maria Noichl, Mitglied des Europäischen Parlaments für S&D (auf Deutsch mit Übersetzung) 
• John Peck, Family Farm Defenders