Quantification Beyond Crediting
Building the technical foundation and policy framework for jurisdiction-level monitoring of enhanced weathering on agricultural lands
There is broad agreement that (1) we need gigaton scale carbon removal to achieve our climate goals and alleviate harm from warming, and (2) credit sales in the voluntary carbon market are insufficient to generate and sustain a gigaton-scale CDR industry.
To scale quickly and cost-effectively, we need to embed CDR in a broad range of industries, using a portfolio of policy mechanisms. Each policy will need fit-for-purpose MRV guidance and infrastructure.
By “fit for purpose,” we mean:
Administratively feasible, or aligned with the goals and capabilities of the implementing agency (e.g. USDA)
Logically consistent, such that the new standard fits in the logic of the existing regulatory architecture (e.g. building codes for low-carbon building materials)
Scientifically sound, meaning we are quantifying carbon flux and storage and any associated uncertainties using the best available science at an appropriate level of precision for the use case
This fit-for-purpose MRV may not resemble existing systems for credit issuance in the voluntary carbon market. Consider pay-for-practice subsidies for soil pH management through enhanced weathering (EW) on agricultural lands. Eliminating many of the measurements required for per-ton attribution of removal to a specific supplier could significantly reduce cost and accelerate the speed of deployment.
But it also raises a slew of new questions:
How would we know if this practice actually removed carbon from the atmosphere across large areas and over multiple years?
How would we know if N2O emissions and fertilizer use were impacted, increasing or decreasing net climate impact of the policy?
How would this activity be incorporated into national GHG inventories and nationally determined contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement?
Our project on jurisdiction-level monitoring of enhanced weathering will directly address these questions.
The project has two main work streams. In the first work stream, we will develop a technical framework for jurisdiction-level monitoring of enhanced weathering, building on existing academic quantification tools and industry methodologies for issuing EW credits. In the second work stream, we will develop policy recommendations for implementation of the framework in three jurisdictions, including the US federal government.
Ultimately, this work supports two important outcomes. First, quantification beyond crediting enables public financing mechanisms for enhanced weathering beyond the sale of carbon offsets, unlocking speed and scale. Second, jurisdiction-level monitoring of enhanced weathering provides a technical basis for exploring alternative quantification and financing mechanisms for other novel durable CDR pathways.
Interested in working with us on this project? Reach out to info@carbonremovalstandards.org.
