The potential and risks of Forest-based carbon offsets: part 3 - REDD: how it can actually work?

On the first part on our series on forest-based carbon credits we talked of the potential of this concept as we saw on the example of Canopy Carbon. On the second part we discussed the risks of this mechanism following the report of Greenpeace on Noel Kempff Climate Action Project (NKCAP) in Bolivia. Today on our final article in this series we try to rap it all and find out if this option can actually work.

WWF wrote couple of days ago on their website that "failure by the world’s financial leaders to support responsible forest finance will allow rampant deforestation to continue and contribute to the disastrous effects of climate change." This logic is very clear and I definitely agree with it and think that REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) can be one of the implementations that follow this logic.

But no matter how tempting are the prospects of REDD both for the environment and the participants, there are some issues that remain a problem. A big problem. Just as a reminder, here are the main issues we need to deal with, as summarized by REDD-Monitor:

• monitoring the state of forests and the volumes of carbon either being emitted or stored;
• in preventing ‘avoided deforestation’ efforts in one location simply shifting the problem elsewhere; and
• finding ways that funding can be got to the people living in the forests – who should ultimately make the decisions about whether their forests stand or fall.

So what do we do? how we do it right? the answer I believe is a set of guiding rules that every REDD project will need to follow to be considered part of this mechanism. Now, it doesn't have to be necessary in a form of regulation - it can be a voluntary guidelines, just like the FSC or the Equator Principles. The only thing is that there should be only one benchmark - if every project will use its own set of guidelines, then it's worthless. Uniformity is a must here.

For example, Carbon Canopy will be using "the highest standards in the voluntary market will be used– the Voluntary Carbon Standard and Climate Action Reserve." Now, these two standards are great, but according to 'Review of Forestry Carbon Standards', a research of Paulo Lopes, a Carbon Management Consultant at Carbon Clear, when it comes to REDD, there are some couple of other standards that can be a good fit such as the Climate, Community & Biodiversity Standard (CCBS), Plan Vivo, or American Carbon Registry (ACR).

So what happens if another project choose to use one of these standards? it will have a similar reliability but we won't be able to effectively follow, evaluate and compare these projects. And therefore we need all projects to follow the same set of standards and rules, and it should address all the main issues, such as how to calculate the carbon savings, additionality, leakage, benefits for local communities and permanence.

And this can and should be part of the Copenhagen Conference in December. The REDD effort can succeed if it will be a global effort and hence Europe, U.S., China and other countries should unite in Copenhagen and promote one solution for all. This is the time to do it and no better place to start with than Copenhagen.

Other parts of this series:

Part 1 - the Carbon Canopy

Part 2 - Noel Kempff and the Greenpeace report

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

Knock, knock: It's the Nook!

Barnes & Noble launched earlier this week their e-reader, the Nook.

I heard today an interesting interview on NPR's All Things Considered with Gizmodo's Matt Buchanan, who talked about the one thing that everybody is occupied with: is the Nook better than the Kindle? You can listen to the interview right here:



I checked later on Gizmodo.com for more information on the Nook and found an article entitled "8 Reasons You Can Finally Love Ebook Readers (Thanks to Nook)", which gives you a good idea about the Nook's features and compares it with the Kindle.

Dan Nosowitz, the author of this post, brings very good reasons explaining why he fell in love with the Nook - the only reason I was missing of course was the "green" one: how it's more environmentally friendly than a physical book. Amazon didn't provide yet the Life Cycle Assessment that will provide us with the reply to this question, or the data required to conduct it. Hopefully Barnes & Noble will.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

The potential and risks of Forest-based carbon offsets: part 2 - Noel Kempff and the Greenpeace report

On the first part of our series about forest-based carbon credits we talked about the potential of this model and presented the example of Carbon Canopy. Today we talk about the risks and the lessons we can learn from the Noel Kempff Climate Action Project (NKCAP) in Bolivia.

Noel Kempff is probably the most known project of forest offset scheme under REDD (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation). On October 15, Greenpeace released a detailed report calling this project a "Forest Carbon Scam".

The project began more than a decade ago, in 1996, where a group of three energy companies (American Electric Power(AEP), BP-Amoco (BP), and Pacificorp) and the Nature Conservancy and Fundación Amigos de la Naturaleza (FAN) joined forces with the Bolivian government in the first large-scale experiment to curb climate change with a strategy that promised to suit their competing interests: compensating for greenhouse gas emissions by preserving forests.

Together with the Bolivian government and three energy companies, the partners terminated logging rights in 4 areas just adjacent to a pre-existing national park and incorporated the land into the national park, creating the 3.9 million acre Noel Kempff Mercado National Park. The partners also initiated a comprehensive community development program to address the problem of small scale deforestation by local communities living just outside of the park.

There was also a financial aspect to the project: In return for millions of dollars of investment for the protection of an area of rainforest from logging for 30 years, they would be allocated the carbon offsets generated by keeping the trees standing. These offsets could then be bought and sold in carbon trading systems, in order to offset some of the CO2 pollution produced by these power companies.

So far, so good. But in reality, according to the report, the model just didn't work. Here are the main claims of Greenpeace (from their website):

Since the project started in 1997 the estimated CO2 emission reductions have plummeted by more than 90 per cent, from about 55 million tonnes to "up to" 5.8 million tonnes. Had the original false estimates been used on carbon markets there could have been an INCREASE in greenhouse gas emissions. Companies could have claimed non-existent emission reductions while continuing to emit the amount supposedly offset. These serious errors in counting emissions are reason enough to avoid sub-national offsetting altogther – but as if we didn't have proof enough, here's more. The project has failed to protect against:

1. “Leakage” — the companies promised that they were effectively monitoring leakagage but in percentage terms overall deforestation rates have actually increased in Bolivia. In fact, leakage from the project could be as high as 42-60 per cent.

2. ““Additionality” — Changes in Bolivian law mean that Noel Kempff may have been protected anyway, without company involvement, and therefore any C02 savings may not be additional.

3. "Permanence" – The project is at risk from forest fires, pests, disease and political changes, all of which can undermine forest protection. This could mean that the carbon stored, and used to offset the company emissions, could still be released.

4. "Community benefits" – Industry claims the project has benefited local communities in many ways, but testimonies we captured tell a different story. "Well, the reality is that the Noel Kempff project has not delivered any benefits," says local Pastor Solís Pérez.

Now, these are serious accusations, and of course they generate a big question mark on the real value of the carbon credits from the project. The Nature Conservancy, NKCAP's main broker and one of the world's largest conservation groups, strongly disputes this notion (and so is FAN, the other organization involved in the project).

As reported on the New York Times, the Nature Conservancy doesn't dispute some of the specific figures on the report, but their interpretation. For example, the estimation of the CO2 that the project will save, which was at first about 55 million tonnes and was reduced over the years to only 5.8 million tonnes. Now, Greenpeace sees it as an indication that it's difficult if not impossible to provide an accurate calculation of the savings. The Nature Conservancy on the other hand, sees these adjustments as an indication of how much the science and on-the-ground measurements have improved over the last decade and how serious efforts are to ensure legitimate credits.

There are some lessons from this case that can more easily implemented. For example, the question whether forest-based carbon offsets should come from individual projects. As reported on the NYT, practically everyone involved in the debate agrees that countrywide programs that measure deforestation against a national baseline are better because they eliminate carbon leakage within a country's own boundaries - a fact that the NKCAP experience effectively demonstrated.

There can be some exceptions (such the ones on the House-passed climate bill, relating to small countries and states in Brazil and Indonesia to submit individual project credits into the market), but this can definitely be the guiding rule.

But that of course won't help when it comes to issues such as the reliability of the calculations of the CO2 reductions. How do you make sure you're providing a figure that is meaningful and reliable? And is the risk in making false estimations too high and therefore we should not get into this forest-based carbon offsetting concept in the first place? These are though questions and we'll try to answer them on our third and last part of the series this Sunday.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting sustainable reading!

Tomorrow, October 24, is 350 day!

Tomorrow is October 24 and it means only one thing: it's the international day of climate action. In other words, it's 350 action day!

Yes, tomorrow there are 4,814 events that will take place in 179 countries with one mission in mind: to inspire the world to rise to the challenge of the climate crisis—to create a new sense of urgency and of possibility for our planet.

The focus of the movement is on the number 350--as in parts per million, the level scientists have identified as the safe upper limit for CO2 in our atmosphere. But 350 is more than a number--it's a symbol of where we need to head as a planet.

We invite you all to visit www.350.org and encourage you to participate and find there an event near you that would be a good fit for you. We also want to share an email we received from Bill McKibben, the founder of the movement.

Saturday's the day -- October 24, the International Day of Climate Action. So join the nearest 350 action knowing you'll be part of something big.

Very big, in fact. This campaign has gone viral--there will be over four thousand events taking place simultaneously in over 175 nations. As far as we can tell, you'll be part of the single most widespread day of political action about any issue that our planet has ever seen.

There are too many incredible events to list in one place, but here are some of the highlights:

• In Cambodia, citizens from across the country will gather at the famous Angkor Wat to take a giant 350 action photo.

• In Hungary, hundreds of bathers will jump into the public baths in Budapest and do a 350 synchronized swimming performance.

• In Nepal, over a thousand young people and monks will march to the Swayambhunath world heritage site temple where they will form a large 350 with traditional lanterns.

• In the United States, 350 people will dance to Michael Jackson's Thriller in Seattle -- because if we don't stop global warming, we might as well be undead.

• In Panama, indigenous youth will lead a moonlight vigil in Kuna Yala, their vulnerable low-lying islands off the coast of Panama, forming a 350 at sunrise.

When you're out there marching or rallying, biking or kite-flying, singing or taking part in whatever is going on in your community, take a minute and try to imagine all the other people doing the same kind of things all around the world--every one taking the same basic scientific fact and driving it into the public consciousness.

350 is the most important number in the world--scientists have told us that it's the most carbon dioxide we can have in the atmosphere, and now we're making sure everyone knows. We'll be taking photos from all the events, projecting them on the big screens in New York's Times Square, and delivering them to major media outlets and hundreds of world leaders in the coming weeks. The combined noise from these events will ensure that world leaders who gather next month at the UN climate talks in Copenhagen to create the world's new plan on climate change will hear our call. They will know that when negotiating the fate of our planet, there is a passionate movement out there which will hold them accountable.

After your event on Saturday, check out www.350.org, where we will show a glorious slideshow of photos from events in every corner of the earth. Be proud of what you've accomplished.

And if you have any doubts about where the fun in your neighborhood is on Saturday, check out this link to find an event near you: www.350.org/map

Onwards,

Bill McKibben for the 350.org crew

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

Green printing tip no. 20: How to create a green packaging job?

We have another tip for you on our weekly series of green printing tips, where we bring you information on green printing in collaboration with Greg Barber, an experienced eco-friendly printer.

Today Greg discuss the greening options of a part of the job that is as important as the printing job itself - the packaging.

How to create a green packaging job?

Tip #20

OK, so you did everything you needed to green up your printing job, whether it's a new brochure, reports, or promotional materials for your customers. But what about packaging?

Sometimes we tend to forget this part, but not only does packaging has its own footprint, its also a visible part that represents your business. The box is no less than what's inside of it, and therefore it's important to green it up as much as you can, making sure all the components you send talk the same language: the sustainable one.

So here are couple of things you can do when it comes to packaging:

1. Use 100% post-consumer waste paper, and less coated stock.

2. Eliminate plastic in the construction of your boxes.

Packaging and box making use enormous amounts of plastic. We have a way to eliminate (90%) of the plastic.

USE E-FLUTE for platforms, instead of vacuum form or injection molding. Our platforms are 100% recycled, are recyclable, and besides saving our environment from all the unwanted plastic in the items you buy everyday, we can save the buyer a ton of money.

You will save money and be environmental: The dies are 1/10th the price of what vacuum form/injection molding dies cost. This would be a revoluntionary, environmental change in our
packaging.

I am having a kraft box made to send my sample kits in and will be able to show my clients the platforms made from recycled material, instead of plastic.

3. Design your box to have minimal waste of paper.

4. Print with soy based inks.

5. Use a plant that is environmental to start with. FSC, Wind E, etc.

Need a recommendation about a manufacturer of "green" packaging supplies? check out ARES Printing & Packaging at http://www.aresny.com/, which I also represent.

If you have any further questions about today's tip, please email me at greg@ecofriendlyprinter.com

Also, if you have any questions you would like us to address in future tips please email us to info@ecolibris.net .

Latest tips:

Green Printing Tip #19 - What is rock paper and why is it considered a green paper?

Green Printing Tip #18 - What is rock paper and why is it considered a green paper?

Green Printing Tip #17 - How do you save money on your next printing job?

You can find links to all the tips we published so far on our green printing tips page, which is part of our green printing tools & resources.

You can also find further valuable information on Greg Barber Company's website - http://www.gregbarberco.com.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green printing!

Green book review: "Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer" by Novella Carpenter

Today we have a great book for those who secretly dream on growing vegetables and maybe some animal farms, or in other words: becoming an urban farmer.

Our book today is:

Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer

Author: Novella Carpenter
Novella Carpenter grew up in rural Idaho and Washington State. She majored in biology and English at the University of Washington in Seattle. While attending Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism, she studied under Michael Pollan for two years. Her writing has appeared on Salon.com, Saveur.com, sfgate.com, and in Mother Jones. She also keeps a popular blog about her adventures in city farming at GhosttownFarm: http://ghosttownfarm.wordpress.com/.

Publisher: Penguin Press

Published on: June 2009

What this book is about? (from the publisher's website)
Novella Carpenter loves cities—the culture, the crowds, the energy. At the same time, she can’t shake the fact that she is the daughter of two back-to-the-land hippies who taught her to love nature and eat vegetables. Ambivalent about repeating her parents’ disastrous mistakes, yet drawn to the idea of backyard self-sufficiency, Carpenter decided that it might be possible to have it both ways: a homegrown vegetable plot as well as museums, bars, concerts, and a twenty-four-hour convenience mart mere minutes away. Especially when she moved to a ramshackle house in inner city Oakland and discovered a weed-choked, garbage-strewn abandoned lot next door. She closed her eyes and pictured heirloom tomatoes, a beehive, and a chicken coop.

What started out as a few egg-laying chickens led to turkeys, geese, and ducks. Soon, some rabbits joined the fun, then two three-hundred-pound pigs. And no, these charming and eccentric animals weren’t pets; she was a farmer, not a zookeeper. Novella was raising these animals for dinner. Novella Carpenter’s corner of downtown Oakland is populated by unforgettable characters. Lana (anal spelled backward, she reminds us) runs a speakeasy across the street and refuses to hurt even a fly, let alone condone raising turkeys for Thanksgiving. Bobby, the homeless man who collects cars and car parts just outside the farm, is an invaluable neighborhood concierge. The turkeys, Harold and Maude, tend to escape on a daily basis to cavort with the prostitutes hanging around just off the highway nearby. Every day on this strange and beautiful farm, urban meets rural in the most surprising ways.

For anyone who has ever grown herbs on their windowsill, tomatoes on their fire escape, or obsessed over the offerings at the local farmers’ market, Carpenter’s story will capture your heart. And if you’ve ever considered leaving it all behind to become a farmer outside the city limits, or looked at the abandoned lot next door with a gleam in your eye, consider this both a cautionary tale and a full-throated call to action. Farm City is an unforgettably charming memoir, full of hilarious moments, fascinating farmers’ tips, and a great deal of heart. It is also a moving meditation on urban life versus the natural world and what we have given up to live the way we do.

What we think about it?

My grandfather's cousin, who passed away recently, told me once that getting old is not for sissies. After reading "Farm City" I'm positive urban farming is not for sissies as well. At least not Novella Carpenter's version of it.

It's not only the fact that Novella's farm is not located in a rough city like Oakland (or as she describes it "I have a farm on a dead-end street in the ghetto"), but also the fact that is a real farm, with farm animals that the author and her boyfriend are taking care of, loving and eventually butchering and eating. It's not easy to read about it, not to mention to actually do it.

If you're wondering how it works for Novella Carpenter, here's a video clip from a conversation she had with Michael Pollan, her former professor, who questions her on how she is able to slaughter the animals she raises on her urban farm (the full video is available at http://alturl.com/4bx9):


This fascinating book is a personal journey and it reminded me somehow "Into the Wild". Just like Christopher McCandless, the hero of "Into the Wild", Novella Carpenter keeps exploring her limits while going further into new territories. Only here it's downtown Oakland and not Alaska. One more thing I found similar between the two heroes is the willingness and commitment to their believes, no matter how extreme they have to go (i.e. dumpster diving to get food for the pigs).

I was intrigued with this journey not only because of the author and her farm, but also because of the neighborhood, the city and the people in GhosTown, like Lana and Bobby, who are part of the story and the author's daily life. The author managed to portray them in what I think is the most kind, generous, and funny way anyone has ever portrayed Oakland.

And yes, Novella Carpenter is nothing but a sissy. You can know that from the first page of the book, but by the end of it you got all the assurance you need. And you can be sure then that if there's a model character for a real urban farmer, it should definitely be based on her.

Bottom line: it's recommended to everyone, from new urban farmers all the way to readers who (still) prefer to do their shopping in the supermarket.

Disclosure: We received a copy of this book from the publisher.

If you're looking for other interesting green-themed books, you are invited to check out our green books page on Eco-Libris website's green resources section.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

Mohawk Fine Paper became the first paper company to leave the U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Mohawk Fine Paper, one of the two largest premium paper manufactures in North America, is a leading force in the pulp and paper industry when it comes to sustainability.

Yesterday the company enforced its leading position when it left the U.S. Chamber of Commerce due to the Chamber’s position on climate change.

George Milner, Mohawk's vice president for environmental affairs, explained this move to AP, saying that "it hurts the company's credibility as an advocate for environmental protection when it belongs to an organization that vigorously opposes action on climate change."

As reported on Environmental Leader this morning, the announcement of Mohawk was part of the news about the fact that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce spent a record $34.7 million in the third quarter lobbying against the Obama administration's proposals to overhaul energy policy, financial regulation and health care.

It's definitely encouraging to see a company from the paper industry among the defectors from the Chamber, and given Mohawk's record (you can read about it here and here), it seems only natural that they're the first ones from the industry to take a stand and join other companies such as Apple, Exelon Corp. and Pacific Gas and Electric Co. that already left or announced they won't renew their membership in the Chamber.

I hope that Mohawk won't be the last one from the paper industry to leave the Chamber and that we'll see more paper manufacturers following suit.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting sustainable printing!