Institutional arrangements to decarbonise rural land in Australia

Abstract

This chapter discusses various institutional arrangements associated with rural decarbonisation law, policy and programs in Australia. Climate change is of significant global and national importance that there are numerous key bodies contributing to the development of sustainable environmental policy and best-practice frameworks. However there remains a need for a long-term approach to the risk-management of the impacts on farmers of various instruments aimed at managing rural decarbonisation and protecting Australia's natural ‘on-farm’ capital advantage. A clear and comprehensive soil carbon management strategy for rural areas in Australia is essential to ensure that rural land holders can access a variety of methods and technologies that will be viable and substantially improve on-farm carbon management and reduce the emission of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. There is a number of ways to address the complexities, uncertainties, fragmented supply chains and the potential unfairness of additionality requirements, which may perversely impact on those who have been good land stewards. There is also a variety of ways to reduce the inefficiencies of the processes applied to approve and supervise the different methodologies. More effective landholder driven engagement is critical to maximise involvement, especially at the farmer and service provider level, and to increase the carbon, biodiversity and farm water schemes available. Fundamentally, there will be many benefits from an institutional system in Australia that can adopt and harmonize across international and national standards and reporting methodologies that transition to the local level and assist farmers to gain access to aligned end-markets, capital and stakeholder support that will improve management of the carbon cycle of rural land for the future.