With CCP label, agricultural solutions gain additional credibility and market confidence, attracting capital to GHG projects across the nation’s farmlands

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Climate Action Reserve’s US Soil Enrichment Protocol (SEP) Version 1.1 has received approval from the Governing Board of the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market under its Core Carbon Principles (CCP) label. This designation confirms that the protocol meets the CCP criteria for high quality, having successfully demonstrated additionality, permanence, compensation, robust quantification of emission reductions or removals, no double claiming, sustainable development benefits, and contribution to the net zero transition.

“Sustainable management of agricultural soil carbon is an important tool in addressing climate change,” said Robin Rix, President of the Climate Action Reserve. “ICVCM’s recognition of the high integrity of this protocol affirms that agricultural climate solutions are credible, resilient, and able to withstand rigorous scrutiny. This stamp of approval supports the growing interest and engagement in the market to finance and scale high-integrity agricultural carbon projects.”

The US Soil Enrichment Protocol provides guidance for the development, monitoring, verification, and crediting of climate-friendly agricultural land management practices that enhance soil organic carbon storage and/or decrease net emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide from agricultural operations. Land management practices eligible for carbon crediting include changes to water or irrigation management, tillage or residue management, crop planting and harvesting (such as employing cover crops and crop rotations), fertilizer application, organic or inorganic soil amendments, and fossil fuel usage. Climate-friendly agricultural land management practices can have the co-benefit of strengthening soil and ecosystem health, reducing air and water pollution, and improving resilience to climate extremes.

According to the US EPA, in 2022, the agriculture sector accounted for 11% of US greenhouse gas emissions, totaling 6,343 million metric tons of CO₂ equivalent. The Reserve’s US Soil Enrichment Protocol has already had meaningful impact with almost 999,000 metric tons of GHGs reduced from two projects spanning 1.55 million acres, across 20,900 fields, in 28 states in the U.S.

“Farmers are increasingly on the front lines of climate impact, with crops and harvests significantly affected by rising global average temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, and more frequent severe weather events such as heatwaves, droughts, hurricanes, and floods,” said McKenzie Smith, Associate Director at the Climate Action Reserve. “By adopting climate-friendly agricultural land management practices, farmers can add a new revenue stream from the increase in soil organic carbon while contributing to climate solutions that yield lasting benefits for the agricultural sector.”

Credits issued to SEP projects registered with the Reserve are eligible for CCP designation where a Project Implementation Agreement (PIA) with a minimum 40-year permanence commitment is in place and where the sustainable agriculture management practices applied in a project are not rotational and/or intensive grazing.

For more information on CCP-approved methodologies and programs, please visit https://icvcm.org/assessment-status/.

 
The Climate Action Reserve is the most trusted, efficient, and experienced registry for global carbon markets. A pioneer in carbon accounting, the Reserve promotes and fosters the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through credible market-based policies and
solutions. As a high-quality registry for voluntary carbon markets, it establishes rigorous standards involving multi-sector stakeholder workgroup development and local engagement and issues carbon credits in a transparent and publicly available system. The organization also
supports compliance carbon markets in California, Washington and internationally. The Reserve is an environmental nonprofit organization headquartered in Los Angeles, California with staff members located around the world. For more information, please visit www.climateactionreserve.org.

The Climate Action Reserve is an equal opportunity provider.

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