Climate Stewards – mitigating carbon for tomorrow today

Climate change: the state of play

It is now widely accepted, within the scientific community and beyond, that the climate is changing and that human actions have been the key cause. Whilst there are a number of so-called greenhouse gases that are responsible the most significant (although not most potent) is Carbon Dioxide (CO2). Through the removal of vegetation, due to changes in land use, and heavy reliance on fossil fuels for energy and transportation, stored carbon has been released into the atmosphere. This has led to a 31% increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide, which represents the highest levels of concentration within the last 420,000 years and probably the last 20 million. Researchers have predicted a range of possible impacts of climate change including rising sea levels, increasing extreme weather events and loss of biodiversity and ecosystems. Carbon mitigation is a response to this significant issue

What is carbon mitigation?

Carbon mitigation is human intervention to reduce the levels of anthropogenically-induced atmospheric carbon or increase its sinks (places where carbon is stored). It encompasses three main approaches: sequestration, substitution, and avoidance.

Sequestration is the absorption of carbon from the atmosphere into carbon sinks that are additional to existing natural sinks. Methods for doing this include afforestation, changing agricultural tilling practices, and sequestering carbon in deep sediments or the deep ocean.
Substitution involves using products such as biofuels and sustainably grown wood in the place of fossil fuels and energy-intensive and cement-based products. This decreases the amount of additional carbon that is realised from fossil-fuel based products.
Avoidance (or conservation) relates to all actions that prevent (or lessen) the release of human induced carbon emissions. This includes the development of technologies that make fossil fuel use more efficient, the prevention of deforestation, change in forest management regimes, and the control of forest fires and pests.

Climate Stewards

Climate Stewards is a service launched by A Rocha which encourages people to reduce their CO2 emissions and offset them to become carbon neutral. The funds generated are invested in a range of carbon mitigation activities, from tree planting, to conservation agriculture and the preservation of existing forests. The first project involves mobilising students across Ghana to establish mixed tree plantations on school and university campuses, not just for the benefit of the climate, but also community and biodiversity. Hence the tree species chosen are not necessarily the fastest growing, but instead will provide valuable products to local people, and be native species providing rich wildlife habitat.

If you would like to offset and reduce your carbon emissions or discover more about climate stewards and its projects then go to the website at www.climatestewards.co.uk