• Acheteurs de services environnementaux
• Principaux marchés
• Séquestration du carbone
• Éviter les émissions
• Réduire les émissions
• Paiements des services de bassins
• Soutien de la conservation de la biodiversité
• Clients de l'esthétique du paysage
• Tendances Futures

Principaux marchés

Séquestration du carbone

The largest demand for carbon sequestration worldwide driven by the Kyoto Protocol its rules are unfavourable to small farmers. The size of voluntary markets and public payments is likely to be much smaller than for the regulatory carbon markets, but the component of interest to farming communities could be equally or more significant.

The largest demand for carbon sequestration worldwide is driven by the Kyoto Protocol and the national and regional implementing policies and trading schemes enacted to carry it out. Nonetheless, this regulated market is unfavourable to small farmers. In fact, at present the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) excludes two of the major forms of carbon emission reductions that farmers can deliver: forest conservation (avoided deforestation) and soil carbon sequestration (only afforestation and reforestation projects are allowed). Also, the process of certifying projects to be CDM-eligible is complex and costly, as is the process of delivering carbon credits to the market. What is more, the limits placed on the size of small-scale carbon projects are too narrow for the projects to be financially feasible at current market prices. Energy projects that capture potent industrial greenhouse gases have the best prospects for the carbon-trading market (5).

Overall, the prospects for the market in carbon emission reductions are promising and the global carbon markets are expanding rapidly (in two years the global carbon market tripled reaching US$ 30 billions at the end of 2006) (6). However, only a small share of the markets is represented by emission reduction from carbon sequestration, due to the CDM restrictions and because the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) - the largest market - does not allow credits from forest carbon.

The size of voluntary markets and public payments is likely to be much smaller than for the regulatory carbon markets, but the component of interest to farming communities could be equally or more significant. This is because voluntary buyers are more likely to be interested in demonstrating positive social and economic co-benefits, and public sector buyers can choose to invest in low-income areas and to utilize carbon payments to restore degraded lands and encourage agro-forestry on a large scale. Transactions by several non-governmental conservation organizations utilizing carbon finance for afforestation and reforestation projects were major contributors to the total market volume. Some examples of markets for greenhouse gas emission reductions are reported in the table 3.4.

Table 3.4 - Examples of markets for greenhouse gas emission reductions

Type of Market	Name of Market
Regulatory (international)	Kyoto Protocol (Joint Implementation & Clean Development Mechanism) and allowances trading
Regulatory (EU)	European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (2005)
Regulatory (Australia)	New South Wales Greenhouse Gas Abatement Scheme
Regulatory (U.S.)	Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative ( New England )
Voluntary	Chicago Climate Exchange (national/linked to EU) (2000)

Payments for Environmental Services from Agricultural Landscapes - PESAL
is a project funded by the FAO Netherlands Partnership Programme © FAO 2010