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Carbon capture projects in Italy
Indonesia, Bolivia, Peru, Brazil... I CO compensation projects2 certificates are located in different countries of the world, but in Italy they are still very limited. How come?
In this article we will try to understand why this is the case in Italy tricky (but not impossible) to find certified emission compensation projects, starting with seeing which are the main global verification bodies.
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What are the best standards for certified environmental projects?
A project to be able to generate carbon credits (reference unit that certifies the capture or non-emission of a ton of CO2 equivalent) requires approval by a auditing body. Without this audit, a project will not be able to generate certified carbon credits.
The most accredited and most used standards globally (also present in all projects supported by Up2You) there are 2:
- Beer;
- Gold Standard.
Verra is an American non-profit company founded in 2005 which, through its VCS certification (Verified Carbon Standard), attests to projects their environmental benefit in terms of CO2 equivalent. It currently represents the most used standard globally, in fact most of the companies and multinationals that have defined decarbonization and carbon neutrality paths carry out compensation activities through Verified Carbon Standard certified carbon credits.
Gold Standard, on the other hand, is one international compensation standard founded and administered by Gold Standard Foundation, a non-profit association based in Geneva. The goal is to ensure that carbon credits are real and verifiable, and that the projects provide contributions measurable with respect to sustainable development. It is currently the According to the most used standard globally, after VCS di Verra.
In order to be approved by a third-party certifying body, however, a project for the compensation of CO2 must meet different criteria, such as additionality and measurability. Find an in-depth analysis of the different criteria in our Article on carbon credit.
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The importance of the additionality criterion for compensation projects
Among all the criteria necessary for the approval of a project,additionality This is perhaps the key factor: it must be demonstrated that without the implementation of the project there would be no environmental benefit.
For example, a company that produces oil will not be able to certify the CO2 captured from their own olive trees, because it would not generate any additional environmental benefit: the olive trees, in this case, were planted for the production of oil and not for the capture of CO2, so additionality is not respected.
In Italy, this principle is complicated to reach, both for natural and technological projects:
- Italian forests are strictly protected by the authorities, and are not subject to deforestation and degradation, so they do not need external treatment in order to survive. I certified compensation projects are developed in countries where the deforestation is present on a large scale (as for the Amazon rainforest), or where the climate change puts fragile ecosystems at risk, such as in Indonesian peat forests;
- the Italian energy mix has a particularly high renewable component, and develop a project that allows the generation of clean energy (such as a hydroelectric power plant) would not achieve any additionality. The additionality for these projects is carried out in developing countries in support of energy transition.
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So are there no compensation projects in Italy?
Not really: find a certified CO compensation project in Italy2 It's definitely more tricky, however, the market for carbon credits it is also expanding in our territory. Especially in the Po Delta area, which makes it possible maximize the absorption of CO2 through the regulation of water flows in fishing valleys, thanks to the maintenance of a healthy algal substrate that allows the fixation of CO2 from the atmosphere (i.e. the reduction of greenhouse gases).
Thanks to the package Up2You Made in Italy You have the opportunity to offset your company's emissions by supporting the first certified environmental projects in Italy, which at the same time make it possible to create a positive impact on our territory, encouraging the employment of personnel, and the protection of the natural habitats and biodiversity that distinguish Italy.
Discover the Up2You Made in Italy package!
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Carbon credit in Italy: what is the situation today and how it will evolve in the coming months
We have seen the world's leading certifications for compensation projects, but In Italy the situation is a bit different: to date, certified environmental projects for the compensation of CO can be counted on the fingers of one hand2.
In addition, none of these projects have yet obtained the Verra certification, but they are certified betaNeutral: the beta-neutral program allows you to certify CO removal projects2 and is recognized within the document UNI.
UNI PDR 99:2021 is a private association recognized by the Italian State and the European Union, which has published guidelines for calculating, reducing and offsetting greenhouse gas emissions from organizations and products, and the requirements for carbon credit generation projects.
The situation could, however, change considerably in 2024, when the development of certified Italian projects will be strongly encouraged thanks to the creation of a Register of Italian carbon credits At the CREATE (Council for Research in Agriculture and the Analysis of the Agricultural Economy), the Italian research body that deals with promoting and coordinating scientific research in the agricultural and agri-food sector, responsible for creating the Italian register of carbon credits.
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Up2You's certified compensation projects
Our projects are certificates at international level and they aim to avoid, reduce or remove greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere. By supporting them, you contribute to the fight against global warming and its effects on the environment and people.
Among the certified projects, in addition to the Italian ones, we have chosen the REDD+ for the protection of forests, projects ARR for reforestation, the project Delta Blue Carbon and various solutions dedicated to the strengthening of renewables.
In addition, we have created the offsetting packages, solutions that group projects by thematic areas: in this way you can offset your company's emissions by supporting projects in line with your business values and with your sustainability objectives.
Do you want to know what it is? Click here and discover Up2You's offsetting packages.
