Greening Berlin: Empowering Citizens through CO2 Certificates
Financing Climate Adaptation Via Carbon Credits: Jarasch's Perspective - Financing adjustments to climate change via carbon credits, as proposed by Jarasch.
Embrace the green! Berlin's former Transportation Senator, Bettina Jarasch (Greens), laments the current government's lackluster approach to climate adaptation. "We need a veritable forest explosion, more open spaces, de-paving, so that this city doesn't bake under the sweltering summer sun," Jarasch commented to the "Tagesspiegel." "It's all about creating a verdant fortress for our city." So much potential remains untapped.
Future funds for such projects could be sourced through the trading of so-called CO2 certificates. These permits allow European companies with energy-intensive facilities to emit a certain amount of CO2. "By investing in projects that suck CO2 out of the atmosphere, these certificates can finance such endeavors," said Jarasch. "State-run enterprises could use these certificates to green Berlin and plant trees in our beloved city." The Berlin Waste Management is already setting an impressive example.
In fact, the Senate could take it a step further by incentivizing tree-planting on private properties. Several districts, such as Treptow-Köpenick and Tempelhof-Schöneberg, have already launched these initiatives. "Property owners would only be required to maintain the trees," the Green politician explained. "This incentivizes them and benefits the city."
Putting CO2 Certificates to Work
Let's explore creative ways to harness the potential of CO2 certificates:
1. Tapping Carbon Markets
– Selling CO2 certificates: Berlin could initiate a city-level carbon credit program, where tree-planting projects and green initiatives generate certified carbon offsets. Credible verification systems like Verra’s VCS Program or the Gold Standard ensure authenticity, with proceeds channeled towards adaptation initiatives[5].– Public procurement integration: State-run companies could purchase CO2 removal certificates from local projects, mirroring initiatives like Canada’s CAD 10 million procurement program or the US Department of Energy’s $35 million pilot for Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) certificates[2]. This boosts demand and funds green initiatives, such as urban forestry.
2. Policy Frameworks
– Expanding offset programs: Berlin could capitalize on Germany’s Federal Climate Action Act (§15), aiming to establish climate-neutral administration by 2030, to include CO2 certificates from tree-planting and green roofs on private properties[2][4].– Promoting private participation: Property owners could reap tax breaks or subsidies for certifying and selling CO2 offsets from tree-planting, echoing Bettina Jarasch's vision of CO2 certificate funding[1].
3. Certification and Monitoring
– Adopting EU carbon removal standards: Berlin could adhere to EU carbon removals certification, such as the CRCF regulation, to guarantee projects meet durability and additionality criteria, instilling trust in buyers[2].– Leveraging co-benefits: Standards like SD VISta (VCS Program) certify social and environmental advantages (like the biodiversity boost from urban trees), enriching projects' appeal to customers[5].
4. Hybrid Public-Private Approaches
– Public-private partnerships: Berlin's public utilities or housing corporations (e.g., Deutsche Wohnen) could implement green roofs and solar installations, generating CO2 certificates to be sold to businesses or used to meet administrative climate neutrality objectives[2][4].– Testbed Projects: Kick off small-scale projects to test certificate monetization, synthesizing insights from Germany's Carbon Contracts for Difference and CDR procurement pilot programs[2][4].
By weaving these strategies together, Berlin could cultivate a self-sustaining funding system. During this process, CO2 certificates would fund climate adaptation projects while fostering a stronger collaboration between the private and public sectors.
- The former Transportation Senator of Berlin, Bettina Jarasch, advocates for a significant increase in green spaces, suggesting a 'forest explosion' to reduce the city's heat island effect.
- State-run enterprises in Berlin could potentially use CO2 certificates to fund green projects such as tree-planting and urban forestry, as suggested by Jarasch.
- Berlin could establish a city-level carbon credit program, where tree-planting projects and green initiatives generate certified carbon offsets, using credible verification systems like Verra’s VCS Program or the Gold Standard.
- To incentivize tree-planting on private properties, Berlin could consider offering tax breaks or subsidies to property owners who certify and sell CO2 offsets from their projects, similar to Bettina Jarasch's vision of CO2 certificate funding.
- By adhering to EU carbon removals certifications like the CRCF regulation and certification standards like SD VISta, Berlin could assure projects meet durability and additionality criteria and highlight the social and environmental advantages of these initiatives, boosting their appeal to customers.