Researchers Lucy Hutyra and Rebecca Sanders-DeMott have published a pivotal paper in the journal Earth’s Future, outlining essential changes to the carbon market system aimed at promoting high-quality forest carbon credits. This study is particularly significant as it addresses the growing need for effective solutions in the face of climate change, with forests playing a crucial role in absorbing nearly half of the carbon dioxide emissions produced by fossil fuels.
The paper outlines 22 technical, administrative and regulatory changes that can make forest carbon credits more reliable, effective and impactful. These recommendations are strategically divided into two categories: those that can be implemented relatively easily and those that necessitate more substantial shifts in policy and practice. Among the simpler adjustments, Hutyra suggests instituting “risk reassessments at least every 5 years” to ensure that carbon credits maintain their integrity over time. Moreover, she calls for bigger buffer zones and maps of risk by area to better strengthen the system’s dependability.
The researchers pinpoint four key areas for reform, including improved monitoring practices and a comprehensive overhaul of the existing market structure. Their sights are set on addressing the greater challenges that voluntary, North-American-based forest credit markets are up against. They work to develop deep standards to regulate these emerging markets. Hutyra and Sanders-DeMott systematically evaluated the strength of 20 publicly available protocols. They ranked each one based on how effective they thought these protocols were at ensuring real emissions reductions.
Lucy Hutyra, Distinguished Professor and chair of Earth and Environment at Boston University. In the meantime, Rebecca Sanders-DeMott directs ecosystem carbon science at the Clean Air Task Force. Together, they are committed to enhancing the carbon market system, which has become increasingly important in mitigating climate change impacts.
The Clean Air Task Force is currently working to build an easily digestible report. Beyond their academic contributions, this report will translate that research into plain language so it’s accessible to all. The nonprofit is conducting webinars to help spread this important information to an even wider audience. These efforts underscore the importance of engaging stakeholders in discussions about forest carbon credits and their role in combating climate change.
Hutyra and Sanders-DeMott do not want to stop at a market that simply promises carbon offsetting. To do that they hope to make some tangible, quantifiable improvements in emissions reductions. These initiatives primarily seek to increase the quality of forest carbon credits. This improvement increases the power of our forests’ sequestration potential, supporting international climate change mitigation goals.