A new report lists recommendations for expanding carbon offset opportunities in agricultural and working lands. A taskforce of various stakeholders—from academics to environmentalists and dairy representatives—put together the report for the Air Resources Board.
The program has been successful in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by requiring industries to purchase carbon offset credits that support conservation practices in ag.
Recent legislation, however, calls for expanding those offset projects. “That important goal is at odds with the shrinking size of the program,” the taskforce concludes. The success means fewer polluters are purchasing carbon offset credits. The report recommends the Legislature instead develops policies that would expand the market demand for those offsets—through the cap-and-trade program and beyond.
The draft report is open for public comment.
