Ural Federal University: Climate Projects Opportunities Appear in Russia
In Russia there are new opportunities related to the implementation of climate projects: there is a registry of carbon units, the first carbon trading and carbon exchanges begin to work. Disturbed lands, primarily mining landfills, are the site of such projects. About this and the connection between the restoration of disturbed lands and the climate agenda in the country told Victor Valdayskikh, the Head of the Ural-Carbon Polygon and UrFU Botanical Garden. He gave a speech about carbon polygons and carbon deposition at the scientific conference “Biological Reclamation and Monitoring of Disturbed Lands”.
“When implementing climate projects on disturbed lands, enterprises owning these lands can not only return their debt to nature as a result of reclamation works, but to some extent compensate for their own CO2 emissions in the production of main products and enter the carbon exchange, getting a significant benefit from these lands. Assuming that the company does not meet the quota for carbon-containing greenhouse gas emissions, which it will be set. Such quotas do not exist yet, but they will appear, first for large enterprises, and then for all others. Let us say, however, that at the same time, reclaimed previously disturbed land of this enterprise in the growth of the biomass of planted trees deposited a similar amount of carbon from the atmosphere that exceeds the quota. If the company proves it by engaging special organizations to verify the results of the project, then this difference will be counted by the company. The company will even be able to sell the excess carbon units,” explains Victor Valdayskikh.
In addition, Victor Valdayskikh spoke about the criteria and procedure for implementing climate projects, the process of their registration, certification, verification, which are already prescribed in the new legislation.
XI All-Russian Scientific Conference with international participation was held in Satka, Chelyabinsk Region. The conference was initiated and organized by the Botanical Garden of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Ural Federal University. The aim of the conference is to exchange views and coordinate scientific and practical research on topical issues of biological reclamation and monitoring of disturbed lands, biological productivity and carbon sequestration in technogenic landscapes, as well as to discuss methodological approaches, key issues of reforestation of disturbed natural ecosystems and priority directions of modern problems of natural and social complexes condition.
The conference was attended by experts from Russia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Turkey, Kazakhstan, India, Morocco, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Austria, the Philippines, and Great Britain. The conference was supported by the government, the Ministry of Ecology and the Main Forest Management of the Chelyabinsk Region, Satkinsk Forestry, Satkinsk Municipal District, Magnezit Works, Sredneuralsk Copper Smelting Plant, and Zyuratkul National Park.