Carbon units for farmers and landowners

Peatland restoration, with its potential to reduce CO₂ emissions and generate carbon credits, or ‘carbon units’, that can be independently verified to the Peatland Code standard, has the potential to be an effective option for land diversification.

Read on to find out more about the benefits carbon credits hold for farmers and landowners.

 

What are carbon units?

A carbon unit is a quantifiable measurement that corresponds to the reduction of one tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO₂e) emissions entering the planet’s atmosphere. These units can be obtained through climate change initiatives that actively reduce CO₂ emissions from entering the atmosphere, and can be purchased by companies, organisations, or individuals to compensate their residual emissions.

 

Peatland restoration and carbon units

Healthy peatlands absorb and store huge amounts of CO₂, holding hundreds (and in some cases thousands) of tonnes of carbon per hectare.

However, with up to 80% of Scotland’s peatlands in a damaged condition, this carbon dioxide is instead being released into the atmosphere, contributing 10 million tonnes of CO₂ per year to the UKs Greenhouse Gas Inventory, a record that is used to measure progress towards national net-zero commitments. In fact, in Scotland, peatland emissions account for nearly 15% of the country’s entire emission inventory (the 5^th largest contributor!).

Restoring damaged peatlands reverses this harm, progressing global net-zero targets, while also adding huge benefits for biodiversity, water quality, and wider society. What’s more, for every tonne of carbon emission avoided through peatland restoration, there is the potential to generate one tradeable carbon unit.  

 

Carbon Credits for landowners

For landowners with degraded peat on their land, peatland restoration has the potential to create a viable revenue stream, where authenticated carbon units generated from revitalising the peatland can be sold to businesses looking to compensate for their residual emissions.

Highly polluting industries such as transport, fuel, and manufacturing are being increasingly impelled to invest in carbon offsetting strategies to reach net-zero targets and reduce their climate impact. The priority for these businesses must be reducing their own emissions first however, it is acknowledged that total emission reduction will not be possible – the voluntary carbon market provides the solution in this circumstance.

This poses a significant financial and environmental opportunity for landowners of non-productive, peatland-rich land. In restoring damaged peatlands, landowners can actively trade carbon to generate an alternate revenue stream, while also contributing to CO₂ emission reductions. Not only this, but restored wetlands enhance the local habitat, supporting the population of rare species and boosting local biodiversity, which has seen a substantial decline since the 1970s.

At a time of uncertainty for landowners and farmers alike, carbon units generated from on-site peatland restoration could provide some degree of financial stability, providing a long-term source of income alongside future subsidy frameworks.

 

How Caledonian Climate helps

Caledonian Climate works with landowners to restore peatlands that are dried out and degraded to generate verified carbon units that can be sold to companies, generating revenue. Closely following the Peatland Code standard, our projects ensure best-practice requirements are met and science-based carbon reductions are realised, ensuring that all carbon units produced from our projects are properly authenticated and independently validated and verified.

What’s more, ongoing monitoring protects the project’s integrity by assuring all project deliverables are achieved. By regularly assessing and reviewing a peatland site, we reduce overall project risk, helping to deliver optimal conditions for project success.  

The high standard of service offered by Caledonian Climate therefore mitigates against risk on behalf of the landowner, removing the stress of project management while offering peace of mind and financial security for years to come. 

Landowners can take advantage of the growing carbon market by restoring peatlands to generate carbon units. By working with Caledonian Climate, they can be assured that they are working with the only dedicated peatland specialist in Scotland with a proven track record and a focus on delivering projects with exceptional value.

 

Discover how we work with landowners here.