COP27: Experts flag proposals to include carbon removals in UN trading mechanism

Subject : Environment

Context-

Many concerns have been raised over recommendations to include carbon removals for carbon-trading mechanisms under the United Nations. Civil society groups said carbon removals do not align with the 1.5-degree goal of the Paris Agreement.

Carbon removal-

‘Carbon removal’ means removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
- It can be land-based–
- afforestation or reforestation,
- direct air capture (where big machines suck CO2),
- soil carbon sequestration using no-till agriculture and other practices,
- sequestering carbon from biofuel.
- Ocean-based removals–
- pumping CO2 into the ocean by spreading iron (ocean fertilisation)
- pumping nutrient-rich waters from the depths to the surface and pumping surface waters downward to transport carbon to the ocean depths.

Carbon removal under Paris Climate deal 2015-

Article 2.1 of the 2015 Paris Agreement aims to hold increasing temperatures to “well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels” while “pursuing efforts” towards the more ambitious limit of 1.5°C.
Article 6.4establishes a mechanism under the United Nations to allow countries to voluntarily cooperate to meet their climate targets.
The supervisory body is responsible for framing recommendations around the types of activities (methodologies) allowed under 6.4 and how they should be verified.
It is also tasked with making recommendations on carbon removals, including reporting, monitoring and addressing concerns over the technology and social impacts.
These recommendations will be approved by the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA).
Once approved, a developer (a country, a business, or an individual) can start issuing the UN-recognised credits for a project only after getting approval from the host country and the supervisory body.

Oceans as Carbon sinks-

Oceans have a vast potential for storing carbon dioxide naturally.
Nutrients like iron can increase photosynthesis among phytoplankton, which then incorporate carbon into their system.
The remaining uneaten planktons sink to the bottom and lock up the carbon.
Risk involved-
- Ocean acidification
- Human Rights violation due to poor afforestation implementation practices.
- Threat to the livelihood of the coastal communities