CarbonLab, University of Queensland

The CarbonLab is a carbon, energy and sustainability initiative based at the University of Queensland in Australia delivering innovative teaching and training to industry and Government on the risks and opportunities of a low-carbon world. The CarbonLab is working with a wide range of stakeholders both in Australia and internationally to progress the understanding and uptake of innovative carbon financing mechanisms that can lead to scalable conservation and sustainable development outcomes in low-land, mountain and marine ecosystems. In the context of mountains, our work revolves around the global potential to generate carbon offsets in sub-alpine and alpine ecosystems and capitalize on the USD$176b global carbon market. In this respect, the protection of healthy ecosystems and enhancement of those that have been degraded, can underpin efforts to ensure important ecosystems services are maintained e.g. slope stability, water quality and food resources. In parallel, our research is investigating the systemic issues and challenges in creating carbon offset projects on the ground (with planned case studies in Africa, Indonesia, North America, Europe and Tibet) and the local, sub-national, national and international policy frameworks required to measure, verify and issue carbon offsets credits into global markets.