The Carbon Farming Initiative Handbook

The Carbon Farming Initiative Handbook

The Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) has received rare bi-partisan support acknowledging that it is a good idea.

The CFI Handbook describes the CFI process and how carbon credits can be derived from Kyoto based activities.  Such recognised emissions avoidance projects eligible under the CFI include:

1 Agricultural emissions avoidance projects including:

·       Methane from the digestive tract of livestock;

·       Methane or nitrous oxide from the decomposition of livestock urine or dung;

·       Methane from rice fields or rice plants;

·       Methane or nitrous oxide from the burning of savannas or grasslands;

·       Methane or nitrous oxide from the burning of crop stubble in fields, crop residues in fields or sugar cane before harvest;

·       Methane or nitrous oxide from soil.

2 Introduced animal emissions avoidance projects

Projects that avoid emissions of methane from the digestive tract of an introduced animal or emissions of methane or nitrous oxide from the decomposition of introduced animal urine or dung.

3 Landfill legacy emissions avoidance projects

Projects that avoid emissions of greenhouse gases from the operation of a landfill facility, to the extent to which the emissions are attributable to waste accepted by the facility before 1 July 2012.

The CFI is also supported by a revised National Carbon Offset Scheme (NCOS) allowing Australian businesses to offset their products with pollution reduction under the Australian Government's Carbon Farming Initiative.

This is the second time that NCOS has been revised.  ASBG members were critical of the first version especially its treatment of scope 3 emissions.  The second edition has cleaned up this issue, but it still remains a very high standard.

Accordingly, eligible offsets cancelled to achieve carbon neutrality under this Standard must be in addition to any eligible units surrendered to meet a liability under the carbon price mechanism.