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Natural climate solutions

Natural climate solutions (NCS) strengthen the capacity of oceans, forests, grasslands, coastal vegetation, peat, and soil to act as natural sinks for carbon dioxide. They have the potential to deliver a third of the carbon dioxide mitigation needed to achieve the ambitions of the Paris Agreement by 2030.

Supporting NCS scale up in Brazil

A core pillar of OGCI’s NCS strategy aims to support capacity-building efforts in natural climate solutions to help accelerate the adoption of high-quality NCS credits.

A key enabler to scale high-integrity carbon credits is nesting, which harmonizes accounting guidelines for GHG emissions reductions from avoided deforestation.

Currently, local states in Brazil and project developers use different methods to assess avoided deforestation, which can lead to double counting and undermines the integrity of credits generated.

Given the importance of NCS in Brazil, and the reach of OGCI member companies, OGCI has partnered with IETA, a non-profit business group focused on enabling the use of high-quality carbon credits to achieve climate goals, to harmonize private, high-integrity NCS projects and support the growth of NCS markets in the Brazilian Amazon.

In an effort to promote alignment and harmonization between private projects and jurisdictional REDD+ programs this partnership, known as ALMA Brasil, will conduct technical analysis and dialogue to support the state of Para in northern Brazil to develop an effective nesting framework that enhances the credibility and integrity of the voluntary carbon market.

REDD+ refers to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries.

A rainforest community near Belem in Brazil’s Para state.

What OGCI is doing

OGCI is exploring ways to use natural climate solutions responsibly and on a scale that will have a meaningful impact on climate change

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What are NCS?

NCS include the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of forests, grasslands, coastal vegetation, agricultural soils, wetlands, and other ecosystems in ways that mitigate climate change and enhance climate resilience.

The restoration of forests or agricultural soils can, for example, increase the volume of forest and soil carbon stocks removing carbon from the atmosphere. Protection of coastal wetlands can conserve their carbon stocks and protect coastal areas from flooding and erosion.

A 2017 paper from the proceedings of the Natural Academy of Science on natural climate solutions said that NCS have the potential to deliver at least a third of the cost-effective carbon dioxide mitigation needed for emissions to be aligned with the goals of Paris Agreement by 2030 [1].

UN IPCC scenarios lay out many paths to achieve net zero emissions and demonstrate that the inclusion of NCS allows for a faster and less costly transition for society.

NCS that ensure social and environmental integrity, while also helping protect resilience of communities to the impacts of climate change, can provide a range of other benefits for society. These include economic growth and diversification, improvement of human health and livelihood and protection of biodiversity and water resources, in line with UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The current deployment of NCS and the inclusion of NCS in the Nationally Determined Contributions to the Paris Agreement do not reflect the full potential of NCS.

Nature-based solutions and natural climate solutions: what’s the difference?

The terms natural climate solutions and nature-based solutions (NbS) are often used interchangeably and rely on the same guiding principles.

However, there are some important differences between the two – notable on emphasis. NCS focuses on solutions that primarily focus on mitigating carbon dioxide while trying to maximize co-benefits. NbS focus on addressing a broader range of societal challenges from food security to disaster risk, including climate change.

[1] Griscom et al 2017. Natural climate solutions PNAS.

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Natural Climate Solutions

Explore latest resources

Natural climate solutions: high carbon stock ecosystems management

December 12, 2023

The Ipieca-OGCI Natural climate solutions: high carbon stock ecosystems management guidance supports the Paris Agreement goals by setting out the key principles to help energy companies conserve, enhance and restore the high carbon stock ecosystems where they operate.

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Natural climate solutions: high carbon stock ecosystems management

November 30, 2022

Guidance document for the oil and gas industry

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OGCI position paper: Natural Climate Solutions

February 6, 2021

OGCI supports scaling up the use of high-quality natural climate solutions to address climate change and support the Paris Agreement

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The Oil and Gas Climate Initiative is a CEO-led organization bringing together 12 of the largest oil and gas companies worldwide to lead the industry’s response to climate change.

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