NordenBladet — The new Catch the Carbon projects will develop and pilot regional and local climate work, carbon markets and offsetting schemes in agriculture, forestry and other land use, and strengthen the knowledge base for greenhouse gas inventories.The projects will supplement the Catch the Carbon package of climate measures launched in 2020 as part of the additional measures for the land use sector under the Government Programme. The aim is to achieve an annual climate impact of at least three million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2035. With the new funding decisions, the number of Catch the Carbon projects will rise to more than one hundred.The supplementary call for applications opened in October 2021 brought in 55 applications concerning development projects. During this application round, a significant amount of funding was allocated to the development of carbon markets and carbon offsetting schemes. The new projects will also focus on the assessment of the climate impacts of zoning, prevention of forest damages, extended rotation, and strengthening the knowledge base for uneven-aged forest management. Besides these, the projects aim to strengthen farmers’ expertise in carbon farming and in proactive and flexible utilisation of farming practices.“Each application has been through a comprehensive evaluation process. A key focus in this was on how well the project implements the objectives of the Catch the Carbon package. In addition, the evaluation also covered the feasibility and usability of the project, the expertise involved, and how well the project promotes sustainable development. The projects were of a very high quality and many good applications had to be rejected,” says Chief Specialist Reetta Sorsa who is responsible for the coordination of the Catch the Carbon package.Besides the climate and environmental impacts, the Catch the Carbon projects are concerned with strengthening biodiversity, water management and social and economic sustainability. The information produced in the projects supports the implementation of the climate plan for the land use sector. The draft plan should be ready to be circulated for comments in early April.“As we move towards carbon neutrality, it is also important to ensure economic sustainability and a just transition. It is a high priority for me that we will support climate work in agriculture and forestry, ensure the carbon sequestration and growth of forests and mitigate emissions,” says Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Jari Leppä.New projects strengthen knowledge base of carbon marketsAs part of the Catch the Carbon package, a preliminary study on carbon offsetting projects in the land use sector has already been completed. Since 2021 the Natural Resources Institute Finland has been preparing an information service in support of the voluntary carbon market, which is to be built during 2022 and 2023. The four projects that now will be funded from this package aim to strengthen the knowledge base of carbon markets by developing methods for carbon sequestration in agriculture, forestry and the soil.In addition, the economic impacts of carbon markets will be assessed more extensively and cooperation between operators offering carbon offsets will be promoted to develop common rules for the sector. The aim is to find best practices and methods that are needed to ensure the reliability of voluntary carbon offsets.The development of carbon markets will also be supported with a project to be launched under the information programme for the land use sector that will bring the calculation of greenhouse gases to the level of individual parcels and also take the cultivation measures and soil type into account. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, together with other ministries, is preparing measures to clarify the environment where the carbon markets should operate.The Catch the Carbon package of climate measures is composed of cross-sectoral measures, development projects, an information programme and research and innovation programme that promote climate change resilience of agriculture, forestry and other types of land use. The five research and innovation projects funded by the supplementary call for applications were announced on 11 February.With regard to projects that support the climate change resilience of forestry and biodiversity of forest nature that are included in Finland’s Sustainable Growth Programme, the negotiations with the European Commission and, thus, the timetable for the funding decisions are still open. The applicants will be informed of the matter when the exact timetable is known.New development projects to be fundedTheme 1: Regional and local climate work
Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi