Activities of Paola GHIDONI related to 2022/0394(COD)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a Union certification framework for carbon removals
Amendments (24)
Amendment 113 #
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 by 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 leakage. The same ecosystem- based approach, with a net benefit in terms of carbon sequestration, can be found in mussel and mollusc farming practices.
Amendment 158 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 17
Recital 17
(17) Operators or groups of operators may report co-benefits that contribute to the sustainability objectives beyond the minimum sustainability requirements. To this end, their reporting should comply with the certification methodologies tailored to the different carbon removal activities, developed by the Commission. Certification methodologies should, as much as possible, incentivise the generation of co-benefits for biodiversity going beyond the minimum sustainability requirements. These additional co- benefits will give more economic value to the certified carbon removals and will result in higher revenues for the operators. In the light of these considerations, it is appropriate for the Commission to prioritise the development of tailored certification methodologies on carbon farming activities that provide significant co-benefits for biodiversity.
Amendment 231 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) ‘carbon removal’ means either the storage of atmospheric or biogenic carbon within geological carbon pools, biogenic carbon pools, long-lasting products and materials, and the marine environment, or the reduction of carbon release from a biogenic carbon pool or the reduction of GHG emissions from a biogenic source to the atmosphere;
Amendment 238 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point b
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point b
(b) ‘carbon removal activity’ means one or more practices or processes carried out by an operator resulting in permanent carbon storage, enhancing carbon capture in a biogenic carbon pool, reducing the release of carbon from a biogenic carbon pool to the atmosphere, or storing atmospheric or biogenic carbon in long- lasting products or materials;
Amendment 240 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point b
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point b
(b) ‘carbon removal activity’ means one or more practices or processes carried out by an operator resulting in permanent carbon storage, enhancing carbon capture in a biogenic carbon pool, reducing the release of carbon from a biogenic carbon pool or GHG emissions from a biogenic source to the atmosphere, or storing atmospheric or biogenic carbon in long- lasting products or materials;
Amendment 241 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point c
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point c
(c) ‘biogenic carbon poolsource’ means above- ground biomass, below-ground biomass, litter, dead wood and soil organic carbon as set out in points (a) to (e) of Part B of Annex I to Regulation 2018/841, meaning GHG from land use and land management practices, including the fertilization practices, enteric fermentation or manure fermentation;
Amendment 243 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point c a (new)
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point c a (new)
(c a) GHG emission reductions means the reduction of GHG emissions release from a biogenic carbon pool to the atmosphere or the reduction of GHG emissions in agricultural practices;
Amendment 259 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point h
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point h
(h) ‘carbon farming’ means a carbon removal and/or mitigation activity related to land management or farm practices and or livestock rearing 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 atmosphereGHG emissions to the atmosphere, as well as mitigation actions for agricultural and forestry production, hence increasing the ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change and foster climate resilience and low greenhouse gas emissions development, in a manner that does not threaten food production, in accordance with the Paris Agreement;
Amendment 272 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point h a (new)
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point h a (new)
(h a) 'carbon farming storage' means a carbon farming activity that stores atmospheric and biogenic carbon in living biomass, soils and dead organic, bioproduct and biofertilizer as biochar or digestate, matter as defined per carbon farming activity in the certification methodology;
Amendment 279 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point o
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point o
(o) ‘carbon removal unit’ means one tonne of certified net carbon removal benefit generated by a carbon removal activityor carbon farming activity, including net GHG benefit, and registered by a certification scheme.
Amendment 301 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1
Net carbon removal benefit = CRbaseline – CRtotal – GHGincrease > 0
Amendment 304 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 2 – point c
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 2 – point c
Amendment 314 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 2
Article 4 – paragraph 2
2. In the case of carbon farming, CRbaseline and CRtotal shall be understood as net greenhouse gas removals or emissions in accordance with the accounting rules laid down in Regulation (EU) 2018/841, and GHG emissions from livestock rearing activities.
Amendment 329 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 6
Article 4 – paragraph 6
6. By way of derogation from paragraph 5, where duly justified, tThe baseline may be based on the individual carbon removal performance of that activity in the starting date of the carbon farming activity, which shall be the day that establishes the "state of art".
Amendment 346 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 9
Article 4 – paragraph 9
9. To support the quantification of carbon removals and mitigation generated by carbon farming, the operator or group of operators shall gather data on carbon removals and greenhouse gas emissions in a manner compatible with national greenhouse gas inventories under Regulation (EU) 2018/841 and Part 3 of Annex V to Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 with simplified methods for small scale operators, as provided for in Article 8.3 and GHG emissions from livestock rearing activities.
Amendment 358 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) it goes beyond Union and national statutory requirements, regardless of whether that incentive took place prior to the entry into force of this Regulation;
Amendment 390 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – title
Article 7 – title
Amendment 402 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – point f
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – point f
Amendment 423 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 2
Article 7 – paragraph 2
2. For the purposes of paragraph 1, a carbon removal activity shall comply with minimum environment sustainability requirements laid down in the certification methodologies, set out in the delegated acts adopted pursuant to Article 8.
Amendment 442 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 8 – paragraph 2
Article 8 – paragraph 2
2. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 16 toFollowing the conclusion of the expert group, the Commission shall establish the technical certification methodologies referred to in paragraph 1 for activities related to permanent carbon storage, carbon farming and carbon storage in products. Those certification methodologies shall include at least the elements set out in Annex I.
Amendment 446 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 8 – paragraph 2 a (new)
Article 8 – paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. The methods employed in carbon farming shall take account of differences in soil, climate and other relevant conditions in the different Member States.
Amendment 462 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 9 – paragraph 1
Article 9 – 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 also specify how advisory services on carbon removal activities are provided, in particular to small-scale carbon farming operators. For carbon farming activities, Member States may provide advice to farmers in the framework of the advisory services referred to in Article 15 or Regulation (EU) 2021/2115.
Amendment 473 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 9 – paragraph 5
Article 9 – paragraph 5
5. The Commission may adopt implementing acts to set out the structure, format, technical details of the comprehensive description of the carbon removal or carbon farming activity referred to in paragraph 1, and of the certification and re-certification audit reports referred to in paragraphs 2 and 3, as well as maximum price for certification audit set in relation to total net carbon removal benefit of operators or group of operators. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 17.
Amendment 485 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 3
Article 11 – paragraph 3
3. Certification schemes shall verifysubject if the information and data submitted by the operator or a group of operators to independent auditing for the certification of compliance pursuant to Article 9 were subject to independent auditing andand verifying if the certification of compliance was carried out in an accurate, reliable, and cost-effective manner.