Carbon Farming and the Commission Proposal for a Regulation on a Certification Framework for Carbon Removals: a Legal Perspective

Abstract

Carbon farming is a term associated with land-based practices, agricultural practices that aim at reducing emissions and sequestering carbon. These are, for example, agroforestry practices and practices that result in the maintenance and enhancement of soil organic carbon through the exploitation of the carbon cycle and the sequestration potential of soils. Given the evident links with climate change mitigation, the subject matter of carbon and carbon removals has seen important developments in the European Union (EU) in the past few years. This has culminated in the adoption of a Commission Communication on sustainable carbon cycles and a Commission Proposal for a Regulation on a certification framework for carbon removals. This contribution is meant to address the content and the potentially problematic aspects of the Commission Proposal from a legal perspective.