FACT SHEET 1 | FEBRUARY 2013
Carbon Farming Initiative
The basics
The Carbon Farming Initiative is a voluntary Australian
Government carbon offsets scheme. It is providing
opportunities for farmers and land managers to earn
income from reducing emissions like nitrous oxide and
methane, and sequestering carbon in vegetation and soils
by changing agricultural and land management practices.
Livestock and cropping are major land uses in the Adelaide and
Mt Lofty Ranges region, and land managers of these and other
primary production enterprises may be eligible to participate in
the initiative and generate carbon credits, which can then be sold
to businesses and individuals wishing to offset their emissions.
There are a range of potential activities under the CFI including
Methodologies
manure management, soil carbon, fertiliser management and
CFI methodology is a legal instrument that explains the rules
reducing emissions from livestock.
and instructions for undertaking a project and estimating
The CFI includes several mechanisms to provide confidence to
abatement. Each project under the CFI must follow an approved
consumers that each carbon credit issued can genuinely offset
methodology to ensure abatement is measurable and verifiable.
one tonne of emissions.
Several methodologies are currently being considered for a
range of abatement activities (see more on methodolgies over).
You can view approved methodologies, methodologies
under consideration by the independent scientific
expert committee, the Domestic Offsets Integrity
Committee, or find out how to get involved in developing
new ones at: tinyurl.com/CFI-methodologies.
Positive list
The positive list captures the approved abatement activities
for the CFI. This list identifies activities that are not required by
law and that have been assessed not to be common practice,
that is, abatement that is beyond business as usual. The list
can be viewed at: tinyurl.com/CFI-positive. Guidelines are also
available on how to suggest activities be included in this list.
Negative list
The negative list identifies activities excluded from the CFI
because of the risk they will have a negative impact. The
negative list can be found at: tinyurl.com/CFI-negative
Permanence
Carbon that is stored in vegetation or soils can only offset
emissions if it is stored permanently. If, for example, the carbon
were released into the atmosphere because the vegetation
were cleared, the project could not offset emissions. For
this reason, sequestration projects under CFI are subject
to permanence requirements; the internationally accepted
timeframe, for ensuring sequestration is equivalent to emissions
is 100 years. These arrangements for the CFI have been
designed to ensure carbon is maintained for at least 100 years
while still providing flexibility for future changes in land use.
Other considerations
In addition to the issues listed above, there are other
considerations potential CFI applicants should consider.
This includes understanding the legal requirements
for carrying out a project and issues related to the
project site, such as sequestration rights.
WHERE TO GO FOR
MORE INFORMATION
Remember, it is your responsibility to ensure you are
aware of all of your obligations under the Carbon Farming
Initiative. Further information is available from:
AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT
www.climatechange.gov.au/cfi
Department of Climate Change and Energy
Efficiency – 1800 057 590
The CFI Handbook is available at:
tinyurl.com/CFI-handbook
REGIONAL BODIES
MORE ON METHODOLOGIES
Regional Landcare Facilitators for the Natural Resources,
There are currently approved methodologies for:
you in the right direction:
• destruction of methane generated from dairy manure in
covered anaerobic ponds
Libby Lawson, Gawler Office
• capture and combustion of methane in landfill gas from legacy
waste: upgraded projects
• avoided emissions from diverting legacy waste from landfill for
process engineered fuel manufacture
• capture and combustion of landfill gas
• destruction of methane generated from manure in piggeries
• environmental plantings
Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges region can help to point
[email protected] (08) 8523 7720
Melanie Bullers, Lobethal Office
[email protected] (08) 8389 5913
Jodie Pain, Willunga Office
[email protected] (08) 8550 3405
• savanna burning.
This information is current as of February 2013
There is a growing list of methodologies also under consideration
Acknowledgement: This material is supported by funding
These include a range of activities under the categories of:
• agriculture (livestock, soil carbon, fertilisers, feral animals)
• forestry (regrowth, reforestation, avoided clearing and avoided
harvest)
• landfill and alternative waste treatment (AWT).
from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture,
Fisheries and Forestry as part of the Carbon Farming
Initiative Communications Program, and is adapted from
material prepared by Wombat Creative Pty Ltd for North
Queensland’s regional NRM groups.
See the full list at tinyurl.com/CFI-methodologies
Government
of South Australia