Commission carbon farming plans leave key questions open

 

With its proposal for a law on carbon removals, the European Commission will set bloc-wide standards for certifying carbon farming activities, but leave key decisions to the member states and future acts, according to a draft seen by EURACTIV.

The Commission is expected to table its proposal for a regulation on the certification of carbon removals, that is, the capture and storage of CO2 from the atmosphere, at the end of November. Among such solutions to remove carbon from the atmosphere is carbon farming – agricultural practices that help store extra carbon in the soil.

While voluntary public and private schemes for the certification and remuneration of such ‘negative emissions’ already exist in a number of EU countries, the regulation aims to set common minimum standards for what should count as carbon removals. (...)