What are carbon credits
Nature-based solutions to climate change are extremely important as they have benefits beyond helping to mitigate climate change. Storing CO2 in our planet’s natural ecosystems is crucial to addressing climate change.. Each Natural Capital Credit signifies that 1 tonne of CO2e has been removed or avoided from being emitted. Natural Capital Credit projects can deliver large-scale emissions reductions efficiently and cost-effectively, and are already in place to start working right now.
- Natural Capital Credits (NCCs) are high quality carbon offsets which combine carbon, social and biodiversity benefits into one certificate.
- These benefits result in a net positive impact on the environment and help to negate the damaging effects of climate change.
- Each NCC carbon credit represents a combination of benefits have been achieved within the project area. These benefits are:
- Preventing CO2 emissions from entering the atmosphere through ensuring the avoided deforestation of the project area.
- Providing social benefits to the communities such as clean drinking water, renewable energy supply, community centres and healthcare clinics to name a few.
- Protection of the unique and abundant biodiversity within the area that is vital to the ongoing health of the global environment.
What are Natural Climate Solutions?
Natural climate solutions refer to the conservation, restoration and improved management of our global forests in order to retain and increase carbon storage, and avoid greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere. Protecting our natural forests is a huge opportunity to help capture and store carbon in significant amounts.
Protecting forests and natural capital solutions in a wider sense, can also help to keep the global warming below 2 degrees. Nature-based carbon credits have the ability to provide a significant amount of the carbon mitigation actions needed to reach the global climate targets for global warming, and Natural Capital Credits are leading the way in all-encompassing carbon credits.
Natural resources, i.e. natural capital needs to be acknowledged as valuable in the same way other economic factors are, such as financial capital and physical capital. Nature has a value that far outweighs other resources as without them, we would not get the oxygen, water of fuel we need to survive. A lot of Natural Capital is non-renewable, and as much as forests can be reforested and new forests can be planted, we should be protecting the Natural Forests we already have standing.
This is where Natural Capital Credits are so important for protecting areas of rainforest that is at risk of deforestation, and therefore releasing CO2 back into the atmosphere and contributing to climate change.
If we can protect the forests we already have standing, they are already extremely effective at absorbing CO2 and storing carbon. The carbon credits that are the result of protecting these natural forests are highly valuable, as they demonstrate successful climate mitigation programs have been put in place and are successfully making a material difference to the global warming levels of the planet.