17 Amendments of Álvaro AMARO related to 2022/0394(COD)
Amendment 76 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4
Recital 4
(4) The Union certification framework will support the development of carbon removal activities in the Union that result in an unambiguous net carbon removal benefit, while avoiding greenwashing. In the case of carbon farming, such certification framework shouldmay also encourage the uptake of carbon removal activities that generate co-benefits for biodiversity, therefore achieving the nature restoration targets set out in Union law on nature restoration. The Union certification framework will be instrumental in meeting the Union climate change mitigation objectives set in international agreements and in the Union legislation.
Amendment 112 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 9
Recital 9
(9) A carbon removal activity delivers a net carbon removal benefit when the carbon removals above the baseline outweigh any increase in greenhouse gas emissions due to the implementation of the carbon removal activity. For instance, in the case of activities that deliver permanent carbon storage by injecting carbon underground, the amount of permanently stored carbon should outweigh the energy- related greenhouse gas emissions from the industrial process. In the case of carbon farming, the carbon captured bybalance of carbon from an afforestation activity or the carbon kept in the ground by a peatland re-wetting activity should outweigh the emissions from the machinery used to carry out the carbon removal activity or the indirect land use change emissions that can be caused by carbon leakagbe positive.
Amendment 117 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 10
Recital 10
(10) Carbon removals should be quantified in a relevant, accurate, complete, consistent and comparable manner. Uncertainties in the quantification should be duly reported and accounted in order to limit the risk of overestimating the quantity of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere. Carbon removals generated by carbon farming should be quantified with a high level of accuracy and transparency, in line with validated and consistent criteria, to assure the highest quality and minimise uncertainties. Moreover, in order to incentivise synergies between Union climate and biodiversity objectives, enhanced monitoring of land needs to be required, thereby helping to protect and enhance the resilience of nature-based carbon removals throughout the Union. The satellite and on-site monitoring and reporting of emissions and removals need to closely reflect those approaches, and make the best use of advanced technologies available under Union programmes, such as Copernicus, making full use of already existing tools, and ensure consistency with the national greenhouse gas inventories.
Amendment 129 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 13
Recital 13
Amendment 142 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 15
Recital 15
(15) Carbon removal activities have a strong potential to deliver win-win solutions for sustainability, even if trade- offs cannot be excluded. Therefore, it is appropriate to establish minimum sustainability requirements to ensure that carbon removal activities have a neutral impact or generate co-benefits for the sustainability objectives of climate change mitigation and adaptation, the protection and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystems, the sustainable use and protection of water and marine resources, the transition to a circular economy, and pollution prevention and control and the prevention of adverse social and economic consequences for local communities. Those sustainability requirements should, as appropriate, and taking into consideration local conditions, build on the technical screening criteria for Do Not Significant Harm concerning forestry activities and underground permanent geological storage of CO2, laid down in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/213928, and on the sustainability criteria for forest and agriculture biomass raw material laid down in Article 29 of Directive (EU) 2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council29. Practices, such as forest monocultures, that produce harmful effects for biodiversity should not be eligible for certification. __________________ 28 Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/2139 of 4 June 2021 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2020/852 of the European Parliament and of the Council by establishing the technical screening criteria for determining the conditions under which an economic activity qualifies as contributing substantially to climate change mitigation or climate change adaptation and for determining whether that economic activity causes no significant harm to any of the other environmental objectives (OJ L 442, 9.12.2021, p. 1). 29 Directive (EU) 2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources (OJ L 328, 21.12.2018, p. 82).
Amendment 156 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 16
Recital 16
(16) Farming practices that remove CO2 from the atmosphere contribute to the climate neutrality objective and should be rewarded, either via the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) under the provisions currently relating to it or other public or private initiatives. Specifically, this Regulation should take into account farming practices as referenced in the Communication on Sustainable Carbon Cycles30. __________________ 30 Communication from the Commission, Sustainable Carbon Cycles, COM (20221) 800.
Amendment 170 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 18
Recital 18
(18) It is appropriate to develop detailed certification methodologies for the different carbon removal activities in order to apply, in a standardised, verifiable and comparable way, the quality criteria laid down in this Regulation. Those methodologies should ensure the robust and transparent certification of the net carbon removal benefit generated by the carbon removal activity, in line with validated and consistent criteria in the EU, while avoiding disproportionate administrative burden for operators or group of operators, in particular for small farmers and forest holders. To this end, the Commission should be empowered to supplement this Regulation by adopting delegated acts establishing detailed certification methodologies for the different carbon removal activities. Those methodologies should be developed in close consultation with the Expert Group on Carbon Removals and all other interested actors. They need to be based on the best available scientific evidence, build upon existing public and private schemes and methodologies for carbon removal certification, and take into account any relevant standard and rules adopted at national and Union level.
Amendment 175 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 20
Recital 20
(20) Providing land managers with improved knowledge, tools and methods for a better assessment and optimisation of the carbon removals is key for cost- efficient implementation of mitigation actions and for securing their engagement in carbon farming. This is particularly relevant for Union small farmers or forest holders that often lack the know-how and the expertise required to implement carbon removal activities and to comply with the required quality criteria and related certification methodologies. Therefore, it is appropriate to require thatimportant to provide the necessary guidelines and financial incentives to enable producer organisations and cooperatives to facilitate the provision of relevant advisory services through technical advice to their members. The Common Agricultural Policy and national State aid can support financially the provision of advisory services, knowledge exchange, training, information actions or interactive innovation projects with farmers and foresters.
Amendment 271 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point h
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point h
(h) ‘carbon farming’ means a carbon removal activity related to land managementagriculture and forestry that results in the increase of carbon storage in living biomass, dead organic matter and soils by enhancing carbon capture and/or reducing the release of carbon to the atmosphere;
Amendment 318 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4.º – paragraph 4
Article 4.º – paragraph 4
4. Carbon removals shall be quantified in a relevant, and accurate, complete, consistent manner that is in line with valid criteria and is complete, consistent, uniform throughout the EU, comparable and transparent manner.
Amendment 350 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5.º – paragraph 1 – introductory part
Article 5.º – paragraph 1 – introductory part
1. A carbon removal activity shall be additional and factor in the removal practices being promoted from 2016 onwards. To that end, the carbon removal activity shall meet both of the following criteria:
Amendment 354 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – introductory part
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – introductory part
1. A carbon removal activity shallmay be additional. To that end, the carbon removal activity shallmay meet both of the following criteria:
Amendment 370 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6.º – paragraph 1
Article 6.º – paragraph 1
1. An operator or group of operators shall undertake to demonstrate that a carbon removal activity aims at ensuring the long-term storage of carbon.
Amendment 376 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 2 – point a
Article 6 – paragraph 2 – point a
(a) they shall monitor and mitigate any risk of release of the stored carbon occurring during the monitoring periodvalidity of the certificate;
Amendment 389 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 3 a (new)
Article 6 – paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Preventive enhancement activities to prevent natural carbon leakage shall be encouraged.
Amendment 425 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 3
Article 7 – paragraph 3
3. Where an operator or group of operators report co-benefits that contribute to the sustainability objectives referred to in paragraph 1 beyond the minimum sustainability requirements referred to in paragraph 2, they shall comply with the certification methodologies set out in delegated acts referred to in Article 8.The certification methodologies shall incentivise as much as possible the generation of co-benefits going beyond the minimum sustainability requirements, in particular for the objective referred to in paragraph 1, point (f).
Amendment 464 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 9.º – paragraph 1
Article 9.º – paragraph 1
1. To apply for a certification of compliance with this Regulation, an operator or a group of operators shall submit an application to a certification scheme. Upon acceptance of that application, the operator or a group of operators shall submit to a certification body a comprehensive description of the carbon removal activity, including the certification methodology applied to assess compliance with Articles 4 to 7, the expected total carbon removals and net carbon removal benefit. Groups of operators shall have a group manager responsible for certification. Groups of operators shall also specify how advisory services on carbon removal activities are provided, in particular to small-scale carbon farming operators.