Evaluating the Role of Temporary Carbon Sequestration Units in EU Agri-Food Climate Policy

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Evaluating the Role of Temporary Carbon Sequestration Units in EU Agri-Food Climate Policy

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The agricultural sector in the EU holds significant potential to contribute to climate change mitigation, yet progress remains limited. A key reason is the lack of effective incentives and robust policy frameworks to promote land-based carbon sequestration – also known as carbon farming. While new tools like the EU’s Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF) aim to certify and incentivise these practices, questions remain about how the CRCF units should be used. In particular, integrating certified units into EU climate policy – especially those based on temporary carbon sequestration, raises significant concerns around environmental integrity. 

This project supports Carbon Market Watch to address the specific challenges of integrating temporary sequestration credits into EU agri-food climate policy. In assessing the policy options currently under discussion – emissions trading systems, mandatory climate standards, and public procurement – and examines the implications of CRCF use within these frameworks. The project also provides recommendations on how temporary carbon sequestration can be supported in a way that is environmentally credible, practically feasible, and aligned with broader EU climate objectives.

Ecologic Institute leads the overall project and takes primary responsibility for chapters assessing the proposed agri-food climate policy options as well as alternative approaches for promoting temporary carbon sequestration, such as integration with the CAP and voluntary market mechanisms.

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Keywords
EU agriculture, climate change mitigation, carbon farming, land-based carbon sequestration, EU Carbon Removal Certification Framework, CRCF, temporary carbon sequestration, carbon credits, environmental integrity, agri-food climate policy, EU climate policy, emissions trading system, ETS, mandatory climate standards, public procurement climate, carbon market regulation, CAP integration, voluntary carbon markets, sustainable agriculture, climate policy incentives, EU carbon certification, climate-smart farming, carbon removal units, temporary carbon credits
Europe
PublicationConference PaperPerspectives on a Purchasing Programme for CRCF Permanent Carbon Removal Credits
 
Cover of the workshop pre-read "Perspectives on a Purchasing Programme for CRCF Permanent Carbon Removal" authored by Hugh McDonald1, Jonathan Gardiner, John Tarpey, Benjamin Görlach (Ecologic Institute).

© Ecologic Institute, 2025

This document serves as an informational pre-read for the workshop Perspectives on a Purchasing Programme for CRCF Permanent Carbon Removal Credits that took place on 21 May 2025 in Brussels, hosted by DG CLIMA. The information in this pre-read synthesises the... Read more

McDonald, H., Gardiner, J., Tarpey, J., Görlach, B. (2025, May 14). Workshop pre-read: Perspectives on a Purchasing Programme for CRCF Permanent Carbon Removal. Ecologic Institute.

PublicationPolicy BriefHow to Support the Transition Towards Climate Friendly and Resilient Agri-food Systems in Central Eastern Europe?
 
Cover page of a policy brief titled "How to support the transition towards climate friendly and resilient agri-food systems in Central Eastern Europe?" featuring various agricultural images, including people in a field, flowers, cattle grazing, crops, and harvested vegetables. Logos at the bottom include Ecologic, Institute for European Environmental Policy, and Robert Bosch Stiftung.

© Ecologic Institute 2024

This policy brief highlights the need for a systemic and integrated approach to support the transition to climate friendly and resilient agri-food systems in CEE countries. The brief underlines how the key policy instruments that countries have at their... Read more

Ecologic Institute & IEEP (2024). How to support the transition towards climate friendly and resilient agri-food systems in Central Eastern Europe? Policy Brief.

PublicationReportTowards Climate-friendly and Resilient Agri-food Systems in Central Eastern Europe
 
Cover image for a report titled "Towards climate friendly and resilient agri-food systems in Central Eastern Europe." The subtitle reads "The role of agroecological practices, sustainable diets, and holistic policies." The background features a scenic rural landscape with fields and trees.

© Ecologic Institute 2024

Agriculture in the EU accounts for approximately 13% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Globally, the agri-food system is responsible for nearly a third of global emissions. Agriculture and food consumption are key drivers of biodiversity decline,... Read more

Frelih Larsen, A. et al. (2024). Towards climate friendly and resilient agri-food systems in Central Eastern Europe: the role of agroecological practices, sustainable diets, and holistic policies. Ecologic Institute, Berlin. ISBN 978-3-937085-37-1

PublicationDocumentKOPOS- Sustainability and Transformation Criteria Set for Sustainability Initiatives in the Agri-food Sector
 

© KOPOS project 2024, CC BY

The sustainability and transformation effects of sustainability initiatives can be summarized using this set of criteria and provides a range of possible indicators for recording them. The set of criteria is specifically tailored to sustainability initiatives in the... Read more

Sebastian Rogga, Stephanie Wunder, Bernd Pölling, Andreas Obersteg, Annette Piorr (2024). KOPOS- Sustainability and transformation criteria set for sustainability initiatives in the agri-food sector, Dataset, BonaRes Repository. https://doi.org/10.4228/zalf-c6vf-py89

PublicationReportPricing Agricultural Emissions and Rewarding Climate Action in the Agri-food Value Chain
 
Report cover with a deep teal background. At the top, a small white circular logo with a stylized image of the Earth. Below the logo, in large, white, sans-serif font, the title 'Pricing agricultural emissions and rewarding climate action in the agri-food value chain'. At the bottom of the cover, the company logo 'Trinomics' with its characteristic half-circle colored graphic.

© Trinomics 2023

The agriculture and land sectors must mitigate greenhouse gas emissions for the EU to meet its climate targets. In a new report published by the European Commission's DG CLIMA, Ecologic Institute, IEEP, and Trinomics investigate how an emissions trading system (ETS)... Read more

Bognar, Julia et al. 2023: Pricing agricultural emissions and rewarding climate action in the agri-food value chain. Rotterdam: Trinomics.

ProjectCapacity Building for Ambitious Climate Action in the Agri-food Sector in Central Eastern Europe
 

Photos from pixabay.com

Agri-food systems in Central Eastern Europe (CEE) are key to achieving the EU climate goals. To deliver these goals, strategic planning and integrated policies are needed that will enable reduced emissions, increased carbon removals, and at the same time support... Read more

Capacity Building for Ambitious Climate Action in the Agri-food Sector in Central Eastern Europe

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Funding
PresentationPanel discussionReaching Climate Neutrality in Agri-food – Identifying the Right Policy Mix
 
Graphic for the Think2030 Conference in Brussels featuring a quote from Aaron Scheid, a Fellow at the Ecologic Institute. The quote reads: 'The transition of the agricultural sector towards resilient and sustainable business models, while sustaining food production, needs ambitious climate targets and policies and incentives in place for achieving them.' Aaron Scheid is shown in a portrait next to the text, set against an olive green background with decorative wavy lines in blue, red, and green.

© IEEP 2024

At the Think2030 conference in Brussels, Aaron Scheid discussed the role of the agricultural sector in reaching climate neutrality by 2050 during a Science4Policy session. Despite some progress so far, efforts have stagnated, and current projections indicate only a... Read more

Panel discussion:Reaching Climate Neutrality in Agri-food – Identifying the Right Policy Mix

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Location
Brussels, Belgium
PublicationReportFunding Climate-friendly Soil Management
 
The report, titled "Funding Climate-Friendly Soil Management: Appropriate Policy Instruments and Limits of Market-Based Approaches", is part of the Climate Change series (01/2025) and published by the German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt). It serves as a final report examining funding mechanisms for climate-friendly soil practices. The cover features a blue background with the agency's logo at the bottom.

© German Environment Agency, 2025

Soils are vital for climate mitigation, storing substantial carbon. This report, co-authored by Ecologic Institute's Hugh McDonald, Aaron Scheid and Dr. Ana Frelih-Larsen, examines funding approaches to promote climate-friendly soil management in Europe, focusing on two... Read more

Siemons, Anne et al. 2025: Funding climate-friendly soil management. Appropriate policy instruments and limits and market-based approaches. Final report. 01/2025. German Environment Agency: Dessau-Roßlau.

PublicationPolicy BriefEnsuring Carbon Farming Delivers Sustainability Benefits
 
A teal-colored policy brief cover titled "Ensuring carbon farming delivers sustainability benefits: Recommendations for carbon farming certification methodologies." It is associated with Project CREDIBLE, focused on building trust in soil carbon farming within the EU. The document notes European Union funding under Grant Agreement nº 101112951 and includes the project website link, www.project-credible.eu. Logos and design elements in the footer show a stylized "C" and patterns resembling leaves.

© CREDIBLE project, 2024

Carbon farming allows farmers to mitigate climate change, but these practices also impact other sustainability outcomes, including biodiversity, soil health, and water. In this brief, we propose how the EU's regulation establishing a Carbon Removal and Carbon Farming... Read more

CREDIBLE project consortium 2024: Ensuring carbon farming delivers sustainability benefits. Recommendations for carbon farming certification methodologies. Policy brief of the EU project CREDIBLE: "Building momentum and trust to achieve credible soil carbon farming in the EU".

PublicationReportCarbon Farming Co-benefits
 
Cover of the report "Carbon farming co-benefits. Approaches to enhance and safeguard biodiversity"

© Ecologic Institute

On 19 December 2022, at the COP15 in Montreal, 196 countries historically agreed on the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, which sets global biodiversity targets to stop and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. In coherence with the proclaimed UN decade for... Read more

Scheid, Aaron et al. 2023: Carbon farming co-benefits: Approaches to enhance and safeguard biodiversity. Berlin, Brussels: Ecologic Institute, IEEP.

PublicationDocumentEU Climate Framework for 2040: How to Incentivise Carbon Removals?
 
Cover of the discussion paper "EU Climate Framework for 2040: How to Incentivise Carbon Removals? Selected EU policies and measures for carbon removals" by Nils Meyer-Ohlendorf (Ecologic Institute), Sabine Gores (Öko-Institut) and Jakob Graichen (Öko-Institut)

© Ecologic Institute, 2025

Carbon removal is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the EU cannot achieve its climate neutrality target and net negative emissions without carbon removals. On the other hand, carbon removals can delay and deter emission reductions. Certain carbon removal... Read more

Meyer-Ohlendorf, Nils, et al. (2025): EU Policies and Measures to Incentivise Carbon Removals. Ecologic Institute, Berlin.

PublicationReportScientific Support for the Design of a Certification Framework for Carbon Dioxide Removals in the EU
 
Cover page of a report titled "Scientific support for the design of a certification framework for Carbon Dioxide Removals in the EU." The report is labeled as a "Final Report" and dated August 2025. Authors include Hannes Böttcher and Felix Fallasch from Oeko-Institut, Berlin, and Nils Meyer-Ohlendorf from Ecologic, Berlin. The publisher is the German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt), whose logo appears at the bottom right.

© German Environment Agency, 2025

This report summarizes the results of the research project "Scientific support for the design of an EU Carbon Removal Certification Framework" (CRCF) that provided support to national policy makers during the negotiation process and pursued the following objectives.... Read more

Böttcher, Hannes et al. 2025: Scientific support for the design of a certification framework for Carbon Dioxide Removals in the EU. Final report. German Environment Agency: Dessau-Roßlau.