CMI Media Release

Australia’s carbon farming industry will come together to discuss plans to urgently scale-up jobs and investment – while maintaining integrity – at the 5th annual Carbon Farming Industry Forum this Friday (10 September) and next Friday (17 September).

The online forum, hosted by the Carbon Market Institute, comes at a critical time for the industry as Australia celebrates key carbon market milestones this year:

  • The tenth anniversary of the passage of the Carbon Farming Initiative Act,
  • The 1000th registered emission reduction project – a soil carbon project at Binginbar Farm near Dubbo, NSW and
  • 100 million Australian Carbon Credit Units issued by the Clean Energy Regulator – an Indigenous savanna burning project in WA’s Kimberley region*.

Carbon Market Institute CEO John Connor said:

“Ten years since the passage of the Carbon Farming Initiative Act, carbon farming has contributed more than two thirds of the 1000 registered emission reduction projects and of the 100 million issued Australian Carbon Credit Units*.

“Land use management has been the dominant reason Australia’s overall emissions have dropped and have been in negative or sink territory since 2015, but that decline has stalled since 2017.

“Australia’s carbon farming industry is entering a new phase of maturity and sophistication at a critical time where it can provide greater reductions as we move to decarbonise industrial emissions and halve net emissions by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions before 2050.

“The Carbon Market Institute’s Carbon Farming Industry Roadmap states that the sector, with the right policies and methods in place, could generate 20,000 jobs and drive $20+ billion in revenue by 2030.

“Other research from global investors suggest this ‘nature based solution’ sector should have annual revenues around AUS$1 trillion so it is important we get urgency, scale and integrity right to sustain a vital new economic sector for Australia.”

The forum has speakers drawn from leading practitioners, academics and regulators who will discuss how to accelerate the urgency and scale of carbon farming – while ensuring its integrity – so it can achieve its potential for jobs, investment and low, zero and negative emissions for Australia, particularly regional areas.

Key speakers this Friday include**:

  • Queensland Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon (keynote speaker)
  • David Parker, Chair Clean Energy Regulator
  • Kate Andrews, CEO NRM Regions Australia
  • Dr Jenny Sinclair, Chief Scientist GreenCollar
  • Alex Toone, Global Head Commodities Commonwealth Bank

“Four key issues will be examined: boosting supply; building trust; co-benefits and natural capital; and farming and carbon – where carbon’s benefits for productivity, resilience as well as access to international markets and finance will be discussed,” Mr Connor said.

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Media contact – Bec Gredley on 0484 088 095
Interviews (and images) are available ahead of the event with:

  • CMI CEO John Connor
  • Rayne van den Berg, Forico CFO. Forico is Tasmania’s largest plantation manager, utilising plantation forestry as a nature-based solution to climate change
  • Dave Moore, GreenCollar CEO. GreenCollar helps farmers, graziers and other landholders with projects to help the environment and their bottom line
  • We also have case studies, including the 1000th registered Emissions Reduction Fund project, Nathan Simpson, who is based near Dubbo in NSW and can talk about the benefits of increasing soil carbon levels.
  • Other case studies involve plantation forestry, environmental plantings and human-induced regeneration.

Media are invited to attend the plenary sessions on both days. To register contact Clare Price on clare.price@carbonmarketinstitute.org Workshops are not open to the media.

Background information

* Milestones, further info:

** Key speakers next Friday include:

  • Tony Mahar, CEO National Farmers’ Federation
  • Gillian Mayne, Director Land Restoration Fund
  • Jason Strong, Managing Director Meat and Livestock Australia
  • Charlie Prell, Chair Farmers for Climate Action
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