On the beach at Normandy, D-Day

Every day brings us closer to a methodology for a soil carbon offset credit - an Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU). Tomorrow the Soil Carbon Stakeholders Reference Group meets in Dubbo, NSW to review the work done to date on the Measurement Methodology, including the design of the soil sampling method and the guidelines for sampling and analysis. There is also an "activity" seeking the join the Positive List (deemed to be not common practice and therefore Additional). The briefing documents are not cleared for pubic release. Today the Technical Working Group is meeting to review the work. We have not been informed who is on this panel. We would protest if their number included those who have expressed negative views about the possibility of a soil carbon meth seeing the light of day... and there are many. The place for cynicism and suspicion of markets and righteous distain for the spirit of enterprise is somewhere else. And nor should our Group contain doubters. We need only believers who want the outcome. This process is goal-oriented and we are shamelessly devoted to making a market for farmers to receive incentives for changed land management. The methodology we are working towards is not perfect. Soil Carbon Meth 1G will soon be overhauled by 2G, 3G, etc. But there's no 2G without 1G, etc. We're on the beach at Normandy and this is D-Day.

Michael Kiely
Carbon Farmers of Australia