. . . the Nebraska Carbon Sequestration Advisory CommitteeThank you for visiting the University of Nebraska- Lincoln, USA. Carbon Storage (Sequestration) MarketsDisclaimer: While we do read materials on these sites and evaluate same, providing the following links does not in any way encourage and endorse the ideas at, nor do we guarantee the legitimacy of, any websites provided as links. A great deal of uncertainty exists at this time as to what companies will emerge as reliable sources of high quality information and as entities that can handle trading in a fair and just manner. Offset markets evolving in the jungles of northeastern Nicaragua, Central America... Reforestation and afforestation in Montana, USA . . . Montana Carbon Offset Coalition working with Montana Watershed, Inc., a non-profit corporation designed to implement market based conservation programs. A recent trade was negotiated through the help of the Chicago firm, Environmental Financial Products, LLC based on the Coalition helping two native American Indian Tribes in Montana prepare their land for selling carbon offsets to Sustainable Forestry Management (SFM) through their London, UK, office. The two tribes received $50,000 from SFM to sequester carbon on 250 acres estimated at 47,972 tons, or slightly over $1 per ton, over the next 80 years. Tribal forester Tom Corse noted how "This project represents only a small fraction of our forestland... We're willing to start (it) cheaply, to see if there is a market." (see Newsweek article). GEMCO, a Canadian consortium of power companies, negotiating arrangements with U.S. Farmers to switch to best management practices for some specified interval of time (Intriguing legal question raised at this site by GEMCO representative: Is carbon in agricultural land a mineral or a part of the surface property rights of the landowner?)... Joyce Foundation, Chicago, USA has funded the study and design of a "Midwest-based voluntary carbon trading market"; the program is part of the Chicago Climate Exchange. President Sandor, CEO of Environmental Financial Products, suggests the program will be facilitating carbon offset trades by early 2002 (program was actually implemented in late 2003, with active trading starting in December), with several agricultural cooperatives in the mid-west, including Growmark, expressing interest in helping farmers sell carbon offsets. This pilot program is being developed in Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. The Joyce Foundation announced a design phase grant early in August, 2001, involving 33 entities in the U.S. midwest in an exploratory and experimental carbon market. The Iowa Farm Bureau in late 2004 signed a contract with CCX to "aggregate" across farms in Iowa, providing for storage of carbon in farm land. Kansas has also become involved through the Iowa contract with CCX (See Kansas Coalition). International Carbon Bank and Exchange "provides a platform that enables individual and corporate clients to keep track of Greenhouse Gases in a secure environment." ClimateSafe ERCs (emission reduction credits) can be purchased by an individual consumer, e.g., an SUV may emit 7-8 metric tons of carbon per year. A consumer may purchase ERCs to cover the 7-8 ton emission. One can purchase an ERC from the Bank or through the Exchange to offset the emissions. Or, a firm in an industry one can buy and sell ERCs to other industry members through the CarbonExchange. CO2.com: The Global Hub for Carbon Commerce is the Cantor-Fitzerald website addressing trades in carbon. Due to regulatory entities not yet having set emissions limits, trading so far has only been in carbon reductions (e.g., emissions avoided; carbon in sinks).
Last update: October, 2001 |