The slide below illustrates how hysterical some in the science community have become about the prospects of soil carbon offsets. The slide also illustrates the danger of allowing scientists make ‘expert’ pronouncements about the structure of markets and commercial matters: Eg. “A drought can mean… you have to pay the new owner back…” is completely wrong. In no offsets trading scheme to date or planned does the grower stand alone unprotected against disaster. A “buffer pool” system sees the grower self-insure by ‘banking’ more tonnes than they offer for sale. Additionally, individual growers are protected by the broader pool.
The use of language in this slide also creates a misleading impression. Eg. “Once sold, you manage for the new owner.” This implies that buyers of offsets gain property rights, which is not the case. The intent of such language is to create fear among farmers and turn them away from the soil carbon opportunity.
* Dr Richard Eckard, The Challenges and Opportunities for the Agricultural Sector Under an Emissions Trading Scheme Slides, 2008
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