International Climate Change Mitigation Research Articles

Study of Carbon Sequestration in Forest Ecosystems in DRC

Purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate the study of carbon sequestration in forest ecosystems in DRC. Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: Research on carbon sequestration in DRC's forests underscores their crucial role as significant carbon sinks. These forests store substantial amounts of carbon in biomass and soils, contributing significantly to global climate regulation efforts. However, challenges like deforestation and illegal logging threaten this capacity, highlighting the importance of sustainable forest management and conservation. Enhancing carbon sequestration in DRC's forests is essential for mitigating climate change impacts and preserving biodiversity. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Ecological succession theory, resource allocation theory & social-ecological systems theory may be used to anchor future studies on the study of carbon sequestration in forest ecosystems in DRC. Encourage the adoption of sustainable forestry practices that enhance carbon sequestration while supporting biodiversity conservation and local livelihoods. Align forest management policies with national and international climate change mitigation goals, emphasizing the role of forests as natural carbon sinks.

Principles for embedded emissions accounting to support trade-related climate policy

ABSTRACT Climate policy – though shaped by international regimes – has traditionally been heavily domestic in practice. Accordingly, public emissions accounting frameworks have been designed to support policies targeting emitting processes within the territory, and to facilitate the production of National Accounts. Now, a combination of emissions leakage, competitiveness, and both investor and consumer concerns are driving the rapid emergence of policies targeting emissions embodied in traded products. To support these product-targeted policies, governments are investing in the development of public embedded emissions accounting frameworks (EEFs). While EEFs as an information instrument have enormous potential to support the transition to a net-zero global economy, they equally have the potential to inhibit trade, slow the transition, and have a disproportionate impact on developing countries – both through their design, and through potential incompatibilities between accounting developed in different jurisdictions. This article contributes to addressing these challenges by describing the minimum viable set of principles for an emissions accounting information instrument to be compatible with both international trade law and climate change mitigation regimes. To identify these design principles, our method is a systematic review of carbon accounting and trade law literature. Noting the prominent place of principles in guidelines for carbon accounting practice, we additionally extract principles identified in leading emissions accounting guidelines. Theory-based identification and analysis of these systematically extracted principles is used to develop the synthesized set of key principles for the design of public embedded emissions accounting schemes for traded products. Public agencies developing approaches for product emissions accounting, such as to meet requirements for carbon border adjustment mechanisms, could use these principles to guide design and negotiation.

Assessing the economic value of Posidonia oceanica (L.) at Tremiti Islands (Mediterranean Sea): An ecosystem condition-based approach

In the context of limiting global warming, the seagrass Posidonia oceanica (L.) gained the centrality of several international climate change mitigation projects being the most effective carbon storage sink among Mediterranean seagrasses. To assess and monitor the change of environmental conditions and economic values of natural resources, the present study moves from the insights of the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting – Ecosystem Accounting to assess the economic value of the carbon sequestration and storage capacity of the Mediterranean-endemic seagrass P. oceanica at the Tremiti Islands Marine Protected Area. The economic value is compared across: i. the reference study by Pergent-Martini et al.; ii. the ecological condition-based approach; and iii. the unit value transfer. Based on the obtained outcomes, an ecosystem-based approach would prevent biases in the accounting of the ecosystem-service provision capacity of P. oceanica and help the policy maker to implement adequate public investment policies to mitigate its overall degradation.

Research on the implementation path of industrial structure optimization in Fujian Province under the goal of “double carbon”

Abstract Facing the dual pressure of domestic environmental pollution and international climate change mitigation, China, the world’s largest emitter of carbon emissions, has proposed a “double carbon” target of 3060. Fujian Province is a clean energy province and a major economic province in southeastern China, with inherent energy conservation and emission reduction advantages. However, as industrialization is still in progress and urbanization is accelerating, the problems of low industrial level and sloppy development are still prominent, and the future low-carbon transformation will be difficult and long. Based on the theory of industrial structure optimization and the theory of low carbon economy, this paper analyzes the influence mechanism of industrial structure optimization on carbon emission from three perspectives: efficiency improvement, technological progress, and structural adjustment. Secondly, an econometric model is constructed by combining the environmental Kuznets curve, and the time series data of Fujian Province from 2000-2021 are analyzed empirically to derive the optimization path of industrial structure on carbon emissions in Fujian Province through co-integration analysis, multiple regression, mediating effect analysis, and robustness testing methods. The results of this paper show that from the structure of energy consumption in Fujian Province, coal and oil consumption account for 72% of the total consumption, which is the main cause of carbon emissions in Fujian Province. The mediating effect and stability analysis of the optimization path through the benchmark regression model shows that the p-value variance is 0.0862, and there is no significant difference between them. The optimization path proposed in this paper has significant utility for carbon emission reduction, improves the efficiency of energy use, strengthens the introduction of FDI and industrial structure optimization in various regions of Fujian Province in a targeted manner, and provides a reference for decision-making for global industrial structure optimization and upgrading.

Analysing the techno-economic impact of e-fuels and e-chemicals production for exports and carbon dioxide removal on the energy system of sunbelt countries – Case of Egypt

Transitioning to 100% renewable energy to mitigate climate change requires solutions for hard-to-abate energy sectors. It must also be complemented with negative emissions technologies to ensure climate security. Previous studies have investigated the feasibility of e-fuels and e-chemicals production for export and some carbon dioxide removal technologies in several regions. This study investigates, for the first time, the techno-economic impacts of offering such services on an exporting country’s energy system as it transitions to 100% renewable energy by 2050. Egypt is used as a representative case study for sunbelt countries with adequate land area. Four scenarios with different system configurations have been investigated using the LUT Energy System Transition Model and compared to a reference 100% domestic renewable energy system. The results show that Egypt can technically provide 5% of the required global carbon dioxide removal capacity starting from 2035, and 10% of Europe’s demand for e-fuels and e-chemicals starting from 2025 within land use constraints. The provision of both services enhances the domestic energy system performance by reducing the levelised costs of important feedstocks, carbon dioxide and hydrogen, as well as other domestic cost metrics and system losses. These findings are extendable and relevant to similar sunbelt countries. They are also relevant to European countries looking to fulfil their climate targets while diversify their energy imports sources. Overall, this study is an important step in 100% renewable energy transition research and international climate change mitigation efforts.

The Electricity Generation Dispatch in Mexico: An Uncertain Road towards Sustainability

A comprehensive assessment was conducted for the electricity dispatch in the Mexican National Interconnected System for the 2017–2021 period, as well as the projected period of 2022–2030, with special attention on emissions and the transition to clean energy. The reported official generation data for the 2017–2021 period were compared to the results of both one- and multi-node dispatch modeling. The officially reported generation mix was found to be sub-optimal in terms of costs and emissions. A small part of the differences can be traced back to transmission constraints. Some of the remaining discrepancies can be explained by out-of-merit order dispatch favoring fossil fuel power plants. While transmission constraints were not critical for the 2017–2021 period, an increasing unbalance between regions with cost-effective generation (exporting regions) and importing regions was found, calling for inter-region transmission corridor reinforcements in the near future. The 2022–2030 emissions dramatically depend on the contemplated scenario. The existing project pipeline would allow for a 45% fraction of clean electricity by 2024, but the projection of current policies, with a renewed focus on generation from fossil fuels, makes a reduced generation from clean sources more likely. A clear policy path is required to bring Mexico’s emissions in line with its national and international clean energy and climate change mitigation goals.

Integrated climate change and air pollution mitigation assessment for Togo

Togo, in west Africa, is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, but has made a negligible contribution to causing it. Togo ratified the Paris Agreement in 2017, committing to submit Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) that outline Togo's climate change mitigation commitment. Togo's capital, Lomé, as well as other areas of Togo have ambient air pollutant levels exceeding World Health Organisation guidelines for human health protection, and 91 % of Togolese households cook using solid biomass, elevating household air pollution exposure. In Togo's updated NDC, submitted in 2021, Togo acknowledges the importance and opportunity of achieving international climate change mitigation targets in ways that improve air quality and achieve health benefits for Togo's citizens. The aim of this work is to evaluate priority mitigation measures in an integrated assessment of air pollutant, Short-Lived Climate Pollutant (SLCP) and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions to identify their effectiveness in simultaneously reducing air pollution and Togo's contribution to climate change. The mitigation assessment quantifies emissions for Togo and Grand Lomé from all major source sectors for historical years between 2010 and 2018, for a baseline projection to 2030 and for mitigation scenarios evaluating ten mitigation measures. The assessment estimates that Togo emitted ~21 million tonnes of GHG emissions in 2018, predominantly from the energy and Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use sectors. GHG emissions are projected to increase 42 % to 30 million tonnes in 2030 without implementation of mitigation policies and measures. The implementation of the ten identified priority mitigation measures could reduce GHG emissions by ~20 % in 2030 compared to the baseline, while SLCPs and air pollutants were estimated to be reduced more, with a more than 75 % reduction in black carbon emissions in 2030. This work therefore provides a clear pathway by which Togo can reduce its already small contribution to climate change while simultaneously achieving local benefits for air quality and human health in Togo and Grand Lomé.

Impacts of Various Connectivity Processes in Central Asia on Sustainable Development of Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan is facing a strategically important period in its history. The government’s ambition of reindustrializing is affecting its engagement with various international organizations and donors. As these plans will lead to societal transition and affect such areas as social development, national economy, and environment, a careful consideration of their impacts is required, especially given the country’s need to achieve sustainable development. At the same time, the geographical position of Kyrgyzstan puts it at the cross-roads of three distinct regional economic connectivity processes: the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the China-led Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and various connectivity initiatives and projects taking place under the umbrella of the European Union (EU). A major issue is the extent to which Kyrgyzstan can leverage these processes to boost its economic revitalization plans and decarbonize its economy in line with international climate change mitigation and energy security policies, while ensuring a reliable energy supply. As a result, novel governance mechanisms need to be established that address the possible impacts of these economic connectivity processes; this is especially important given the frequently diverging perceptions and opinions of the various Kyrgyz and foreign stakeholders involved in industrial policymaking. Perceptual heterogeneity influences the development of solutions based on compromise and participatory governance that are crucial to implementing different industrial policy options; it also impacts the nature of the economic relationship between Kyrgyzstan and other countries in the Central Asian region. The aim of this paper is to understand the implications of perceptual heterogeneity for the various connectivity processes in Kyrgyzstan, their benefits, and their impacts. The methodology of this paper includes a variety of methods such as surveys and interviews with key stakeholders, scenario development, and participatory workshops in various regions of the country.

Structural Transformation Options of the Saudi Economy Under Constraint of Depressed World Oil Prices

We implement the hybrid (energy-economy) recursive-dynamic multisector IMA-CLIM model with important adaptations to Saudi macroeconomics. We design two scenarios reflecting both the Saudi Vision 2030 economic development program and Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to greenhouse gas mitigation: Continuity of previous plans to expand energy-intensive activities under maintained energy-pricing policies, versus Transformation by economic diversification away from hydrocarbon-related activities and fiscal and energy-pricing reforms. We show that, compared to Continuity, Transformation improves activity, employment and public budget outlooks, while considerably abating the energy intensity of GDP and total CO2 emissions. Our results thus point at the relevance of economic diversification as both a hedging strategy against international climate change mitigation depressing oil markets and a national climate mitigation strategy for Saudi Arabia. However, the successful advancement of the reforms necessary for diversification remains conditional to setting a suitable institutional framework for a competitive economy.

Analysing Climate Change Mitigation Policy Options in the Renewable Energy Sub-Sector in Tanzania

Public policies influence reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Also the extent to which policies are developed and implemented can influence the achievement of the national, regional and international climate change mitigation policy framework in the renewable energy sub-sector. This paper provides a critical overview of key policy options influencing the development of renewable energy sub-sector through climate change mitigation policy options in Tanzania. Questionnaire surveys were used to collect primary data from 100 relevant experts who represented 64 organizations in Tanzania. Secondary data were collected by literature review. The state of climate change mitigation policy options in the renewable energy sub-sector was assessed by using Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) version 26.0 and content analysis. The results showed Tanzania lacks adequate climate change mitigation policy and renewable energy policy frameworks. A specific national climate change policy and national renewable energy policy are needed to guide stakeholders to undertake climate change mitigation actions in the renewable energy sub-sector in Tanzania. Perceptions gained and recommendations made are essential for undertaking climate change mitigation actions in Tanzania, and can be relevant for other developing countries because of similar climate change mitigation contexts.
 Keywords: climate change, renewable energy, greenhouse gases, policies, Tanzania

International Cooperation on Climate Change Mitigation: The Role of Climate Clubs

We know the science of climate change; we know the economics of climate change; we also know the law of climate change. However, we do not know how countries may come together to cooperate on climatechange mitigation. One way of doing so successfully is by putting together the climate regime with the international trading system via the creation of climate clubs, namely the coalition of the willing. This article aims to explain that, by building climate clubs and making use of the international trading system, we can reach a better future for all. Through the lens of international trade, this article explores how smaller coalitions (so-called climate clubs) – unilateral, bilateral, plurilateral, rather than multilateral regimes – of states/non-state actors can catalyze or influence action on climate change. The premise of this article is that global action on climate change has not been effectively implemented, as it relies on consensus from too many actors. Thus, it proposes how international trade mechanisms may be re-oriented to address climate change. The article challenges the assumptions about the existing multilateralagreement regime, and argues that reducing dependence on these multilateral mechanisms may influence greater attainment of sustainability goals (more flexible, not reliant on difficult-to-gain consensus among many actors). The article, therefore, examines the future of international regimes and how they may contribute to climate-change mitigation. Its forwardlooking orientation – how international trade can leverage climate-change mitigation – is an important and novel contribution in examining how environmental concerns can be included into international regimes. What changes will look like and how change is attained (through policy, regulations, law, agreements, incentives) may contribute to developing global- level institutional solutions for how climate-change mitigation is framed in international regimes and discourses. The article also addresses emerging academic research into climate clubs in international climatechange mitigation institutions/regimes. The article contributes to growing discourses in global climate governance for how these arrangements and agreements should look/be designed to create real action on climate-change mitigation. Therefore, it expands on existing scholarship through taking a specific lens (international trade) and how it may contribute to mitigating climate change through coalitions (climate clubs) beyond how the existing international regime is configured. climate clubs, minilateralism, legitimacy, multilateralism, accountability, international trade

Exploring the effects of climate-related financial policies on carbon emissions in G20 countries: a panel quantile regression approach

This paper studies the effects of financial development, economic growth, and climate-related financial policies on carbon emissions for G20 countries. The focus is particularly on financial policies implemented to scale up green finance and address climate-related financial risks from 2000 to 2017 and represent this paper’s value added. The empirical results obtained by relying on the panel quantile regression approach indicate that the impacts of the different explanatory variables on carbon emission are heterogeneous. Specifically, the effect of the stock of short-term financial policies on carbon emissions is negative, and its effect becomes smaller at higher quantiles. The stock of long-term policies also shows significant negative coefficients, but its impact is stronger for higher quantiles. No significance is reported for the lowest quantile. Financial development contributes to improving environmental quality, and its impact is larger in higher emission countries. Energy consumption increases carbon emissions, with the strongest effects occurring at higher quantiles. Our results also support the validity of the EKC relationship and positive effects of GDP and population on high carbon emissions levels. Estimation results are robust to alternative model specifications and after controlling for the role played by adopting international climate change mitigation policies as proxied by the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol.

International Cooperation on Climate Change Mitigation: The Role of Climate Clubs

We know the science of climate change; we know the economics of climate change; we also know the law of climate change. However, we do not know how countries may come together to cooperate on climate-change mitigation. One way of doing so successfully is by putting together the climate regime with the international trading system via the creation of climate clubs, namely the coalition of the willing. This article aims to explain that, by building climate clubs and making use of the international trading system, we can reach a better future for all. Through the lens of international trade, this article explores how smaller coalitions (so-called climate clubs) – unilateral, bilateral, plurilateral, rather than multilateral regimes – of states/non-state actors can catalyze or influence action on climate change. The premise of this article is that global action on climate change has not been effectively implemented, as it relies on consensus from too many actors. Thus, it proposes how international trade mechanisms may be re-oriented to address climate change. The article challenges the assumptions about the existing multilateral-agreement regime, and argues that reducing dependence on these multilateral mechanisms may influence greater attainment of sustainability goals (more flexible, not reliant on difficult-to-gain consensus among many actors). The article, therefore, examines the future of international regimes and how they may contribute to climate-change mitigation. Its forward-looking orientation – how international trade can leverage climate-change mitigation – is an important and novel contribution in examining how environmental concerns can be included into international regimes. What changes will look like and how change is attained (through policy, regulations, law, agreements, incentives) may contribute to developing global-level institutional solutions for how climate-change mitigation is framed in international regimes and discourses. The article also addresses emerging academic research into climate clubs in international climate-change mitigation institutions/regimes. The article contributes to growing discourses in global climate governance for how these arrangements and agreements should look/be designed to create real action on climate-change mitigation. Therefore, it expands on existing scholarship through taking a specific lens (international trade) and how it may contribute to mitigating climate change through coalitions (climate clubs) beyond how the existing international regime is configured.

Boosting the EU forest-based bioeconomy: Market, climate, and employment impacts

This study adds to the scientific literature dealing with the climate change mitigation implications of wood substitution. Its main scientific contribution rests with the modelling approach. By fully integrating forest resource and wood-product markets modelling in quantitative scenario analysis, we account for international trade in wood products as well as impacts on EU forests and forest-based sector employment of an increased EU uptake of wood-based construction and/or biochemicals and biofuels. Our results confirm the crucial role of the sawmilling industry in the forest-based bioeconomy. Thus, boosting wood-based construction in the EU would be most effective in increasing EU production and employment—in logging and solid wood-products manufacturing, but also in sectors using sawmilling byproducts as feedstock. Vertical integration in wood-based biorefineries should thus be advantageous. The positive EU climate-change mitigation effects of increased carbon storage in harvested wood products (HWP) and material substitution from increased wood construction are more than offset by reduced net forests carbon sinks by 2030, due to increased EU harvests. Further, increased EU imports, resulting in lower consumption of sawnwood outside the EU, would reduce extra-EU long-life HWP carbon storage and substitution of GHG-intensive materials, highlighting the need for concerted international climate change mitigation.

Opportunities and Challenges of Scaling up Agroforestry Practices in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Review

Agroforestry is land-use systems and technologies where woody perennials are deliberately used on equivalent land management units as crops and/or animals. Its systems combine tree growing with the assembly of different crops or animals. Hence, developing positive ecological and economic interactions between components, agroforestry systems aim to produce a variety of environmental, economic and social advantages to farming communities. It plays a major role in soil conservation and global climate change mitigation particularly due to its tree component. Trees control soil degradation through their roots and accumulate greenhouse emission (GHG) in their biomass. What is more, it conjointly helps in global climate change adaptation. It’s a long-time undeniable fact that despite our gift effort at global climate change mitigation (GHG reduction), there is an additional pressing ought to address the impact of global climate change (adaptation). Peoples ought to be acutely aware regarding the scope and advantages of agroforestry and that they ought to participate in the implementation and development of agroforestry within the country. Thus, this paper reviews different analysis findings on the opportunities and challenges for scaling up agroforestry practices. Therefore, the agroforestry system is economically and ecologically sound practices with an improvement of overall farm productivity, soil enrichment through litterfall, maintaining environmental services like international global climate change mitigation (carbon sequestration), phytoremediation, watershed protection and biodiversity conservation.

A map of African humid tropical forest aboveground biomass derived from management inventories

Forest biomass is key in Earth carbon cycle and climate system, and thus under intense scrutiny in the context of international climate change mitigation initiatives (e.g. REDD+). In tropical forests, the spatial distribution of aboveground biomass (AGB) remains, however, highly uncertain. There is increasing recognition that progress is strongly limited by the lack of field observations over large and remote areas. Here, we introduce the Congo basin Forests AGB (CoFor-AGB) dataset that contains AGB estimations and associated uncertainty for 59,857 1-km pixels aggregated from nearly 100,000 ha of in situ forest management inventories for the 2000 – early 2010s period in five central African countries. A comprehensive error propagation scheme suggests that the uncertainty on AGB estimations derived from c. 0.5-ha inventory plots (8.6–15.0%) is only moderately higher than the error obtained from scientific sampling plots (8.3%). CoFor-AGB provides the first large scale view of forest AGB spatial variation from field data in central Africa, the second largest continuous tropical forest domain of the world.

Approaching climate change mitigation policymaking in South Africa: a view from critical complexity thinking

ABSTRACT From a complexity thinking perspective, the world is understood as complex, systemic, and only partially knowable. The particular perspective we inhabit is determinant of what we can know. Perspective or ‘approach’ is therefore foregrounded by complexity thinkers as an active part of knowing and acting. We take a complexity view of climate change mitigation policymaking to argue that climate change mitigation policy communities have a dominant approach, which determines both our understanding of the climate change mitigation policy problem, and how we respond to it. To construct this argument, we first summarize and describe the existence of a hegemonic scientific and cultural worldview. We use multi-disciplinary literatures to demonstrate how this worldview operates in the approach of the international climate change mitigation policy community. Finally, we draw on empirical datasets to describe how the influence of this worldview characterizes the dominant approach of the South African climate change mitigation policy community. That climate change mitigation policy communities have a dominant approach means that, whilst aspects of the complex policy situation are illuminated by this approach, others are obscured. It is clear from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report on 1.5°C warming that policymakers are not yet responding adequately to the problem. If approach determines what we see and how we act, it follows that approach can be interrogated as an active site of the policy challenge. A complexity view, for instance, enables us to see differently, emphasizing perspective, impartial knowledge, non-linearities and emergence in complexity and complex systems. This in turn has implications for our policymaking. Key policy insights Policymakers should explore how an understanding of approach informs climate change mitigation policymaking. Climate change mitigation policy communities should critically examine the underlying assumptions and worldviews that influence both how we encounter climate change mitigation and how we act upon it. An appreciation of ‘approach’ demands skills not typically valued or taught to climate change mitigation policymakers, with implications for climate change mitigation policy curricula and the composition of policymaking teams Complexity thinking opens up spaces for policymaking currently obscured by the dominant climate change mitigation policy approaches.

Valoración económica de la conservación forestal: la contribución relativa de las variables que afectan a la degradación forestal en el occidente de México

Participation of forest communities in forest conservation management could increase the potential to achieve the goal of reducing emissions from forest degradation and mitigate climate change effects. Forest conservation requires a change (or cease) in economic activities that are traditionally practiced by forest communities which contribute to forest degradation. In this study we estimate the minimum amount of compensation required to forgo the main activities contributing to forest degradation. In order to do so, data collected from interviews made to farmers in Western Mexico were used. Results from the conditional logit model show the relative importance the interviewed farmers give to the traditional agricultural system, cattle grazing and lumber extraction (firewood and construction posts). Without proper compensation, restriction of these activities would affect the livelihood of forest communities and hold back farmers willingness to participate, conditioning the success of forest conservation. These results identify some challenges for international climate change mitigation policies, such as reduction of emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+).

Climate Crises and Crypto-Colonialism: Conjuring Value on the Blockchain Frontiers of the Global South

In this commentary we explore how international development, disaster relief and climate change mitigation credentials are being called upon to justify ‘crypto-colonialism’, whereby blockchain technology is used to extract economic benefits from those suffering the scars of colonial expansionism in the Global South. These benefits include land, labour and resources needed to facilitate local ‘crypto-utopian’ developments, or a ‘green economy’ elsewhere. As with past neoliberal development agendas imposing structural economic reforms, the contemporary crypto-colonial exercises discussed here are driven in pursuit of a common good – to protect the global commons and improve people’s lives. Within spaces where crypto-colonialism manifests, the governance frameworks of the associated technology is heavily entangled with social-spatial relations in multiple ways. We argue that despite being distributed, techno-ecological fixes are never placeless. How people engage with, resist or reconfigure a crypto-economy is geographically contingent. This commentary argues for more situated critical analysis of actually existing case-studies to reveal the inequitable terrain of project benefit distributions, and to expose the likely winners and losers within each. The success or failure of use-cases is less dependent on technical viability, but rather mediated through reactions to colonial contexts and historical experiences of various economic and climate crises.

Linking sustainable local economic development to a market-based carbon control regime: Carbon restoration projects in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa using Portulacaria afra

Orientation: There is growing interest in how international climate change mitigation and adaptation programmes play out at the local level.Research purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the link between land restoration and carbon sequestration projects in the Eastern Cape, using Portulacaria afra (Spekboom), and market-based approaches to address global climate change.Motivation for the study: The Eastern Cape is one of the poorest areas of the country, and there is great emphasis on the establishment of economically and environmentally sustainable, as well as socially just, local economic development (LED) initiatives. However, LED projects are often not sustainable in the long run.Research design, approach and method: A mixed methods design, using data on international carbon markets, and key stakeholder interviews with those involved in LED land restoration programmes, was used. Qualitative results were analysed using Connelly’s (2007) framework for sustainable development, which included indicators for environmental protection, economic growth and social justice.Main findings: Stakeholders perceive the long-term financial sustainability of such projects as resting on their ability to earn carbon credits, despite the current very low international carbon prices.Practical/managerial implications: The long-term success of carbon-based restoration projects may depend on the establishment of a local carbon market or continued public funding. Upfront costs of land restoration projects are high and return only starts years later.Contribution/value-add: The establishment of a South African carbon market that helps carbon sequestration LED projects to meet the technical and administrative requirements needed to sell carbon credits will be an important determinant of their sustainability.