The African Bio-Carbon Initiative
Dr Charlotte Streck
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What are we talking about?
• Acknowledging African interests in the context of climate
change negotiations
• Recognizing the importance of agriculture, forestry and
other land-use for Africa
• Bringing together adaptation and mitigation
• Supporting sound government policies
• Mobilizing funds from global markets and industrialized
governments for sustainable agriculture and forestry
The Bio-Carbon/Terrestrial Carbon/REDDplus Agenda
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Why does Bio-Carbon Matter for
Africa?
• Africa’s poor are badly equipped to deal with climate
change and particularly vulnerable to its effects.
• Climate change will add to the already existing pressure
on the livelihood of Africa’s rural communities.
• Low investment has led to agricultural productivity in subSaharan Africa being the lowest in the world.
• Funding under the UNCCD and UNFCCC is inadequate
to finance adaptation to a changing climate.
• Recognizing the urgent need to assist Africa’s rural
poor, a future climate regime should make full
consideration of the adaptation needs and mitigation
potential of Africa’s forest and agricultural systems.
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Africa will be hardest hit by
Climate Change
Climate Change Index on a
Country Basis
Baettig et al, 2007, A Climate Change Index: Where climate change may be most
prominent in the 21st century, Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 34
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UNFCCC and Bio-Carbon
• UNFCCC: Refers repeatedly to emissions by sources and removals
by sinks. LULUCF and industrial emissions regarded of equal
importance. Call to promote sustainable management, conservation
and enhancement of sinks.
• Kyoto Protocol: Instrument to reduce combustion related emissions.
– Accounting for LULUCF (after a lot of controversy) for A/R/D based on
“gross-net” approach with the limitation that activities need to be human
induced and take place after 1990 [Art. 3.3].
– Accounting for other LULUCF activities optional in the first CP [Art. 3.4]
– asd
The KP deals with LULUCF only partially by including some
parts while leaving others out. This leads hardly to a
satisfactory system of accounting for LULUCF emissions.
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IPCC 4th Assessment Report
Emission reductions of 0.8-2.1GtCO2eq/year can be
achieved through forestry based GHG emission mitigation
options for less than USD20/tCO2eq (with large variations
between regions)
Forestry can make a very significant contribution to a lowcost global mitigation portfolio that provides synergies
with adaptation and sustainable development. However,
this opportunity is being lost in the current institutional
context and lack of political will to implement and has
resulted in only a small portion of this potential being
realized at present (high agreement, much evidence).
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CDM – A Missed
Opportunity for Africa
Registered CDM projects by Region
Africa
Africa accounts for less
than 3% of total CDM
projects
2.31
Exc. SA: 0.70
Latin America
and Caribbean
33.00
63.90
Asia and
the Pacific
90% of those projects are
in South Africa
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Source: http://cdm.unfccc.int
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Difference to 1997
• Scientific basis more robust
• Political will to address the problem of GHG emissions
from deforestation
• Acknowledgement of the opportunity provided by the
carbon market
• Private financing necessary to mobilize the required
amount of funding
• Acknowledgement of country specific circumstances
• Active discussion of various proposals
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Special Considerations For Africa
• Sub-Saharan Africa so far bypassed by international carbon
markets (discounting RSA less than 1% of all CDM projects)
• Carbon market so far energy and industry centric
• Little benefits for economies based on agriculture; no benefits for
rural poor
• REDD relevant for some African countries; agriculture and land
management relevant for all African countries
• Rewarding sustainable agriculture, watershed, soil and forest
management brings together adaptation and mitigation agendas
Post-Kyoto negotiations provide an opportunity to make the voice of
Africa heard and correct some of the bias of the Kyoto Protocol.
Time to call for a BioCarbon Initiative which creates incentives to
enhance carbon storage in all agricultural ecosystems.
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Bio-Carbon Principles
• Africa commits to climate change
mitigation.
• Full inclusion of terrestrial carbon
• Simplicity and transparency
• Financing sustainable and adequate
• Capacity building
• Prompt start
• Mitigation and adaptation.
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Post-Kyoto negotiations
• Need to create a comprehensive system that rewards
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Decreasing deforestation
Sustainable forest management
Restoring forests
Sustainable production and use of biomass
Sustainable agriculture
• Scientific basis more robust
• Political will incl from developing countries to address the problem of
GHG emissions from deforestation
• Acknowledgement of the opportunity provided by the carbon market
• Support from Annex I governments
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More info
Contacts:
Charlotte Streck
e-mail
[email protected]
Phone
+31 10 217 59 94
Web-site www.climatefocus.com
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