Support for CCB Standards Exceeds Expectations

Millions of dollars in investment will support exceptional, multiple-benefit land management projects based on new benchmark

Cologne, Germany - May 11th, 2005 - The Climate, Community and Biodiversity (CCB) Standards have already generated enthusiastic responses from the World Bank, project developers, the private sector and the government of China.

"We've seen tremendous uptake of the Standards across a wide-variety of real world projects." said John O. Niles, manager of the CCBA and one of the authors of the Standards. "Several of the World Bank's BioCarbon Fund projects meet the Standards. Some of the largest environmental groups in the world are already using the CCB Standards to design and implement carbon projects. And, the government of China recently announced it will use the Standards to develop carbon forest projects under the Kyoto Protocol. China - which plants several million hectares of forests each year - is even considering using the CCB Standards for their national reforestation and afforestation criteria more generally."

As the CCB Standards were released, many groups spoke of the pressing need for such a tool to start driving carbon investment towards multiple-benefit projects. The World Bank's BioCarbon Fund, with more than $40 million in assets and the largest fund for carbon land-use projects welcomed the release of the Standards. "Several BioCarbon Fund projects have been shown to meet the CCB Standards. We recognize the importance of the CCB Standards to develop the carbon market for land use projects." said Benoit Bosquet of the BioCarbon Fund.

Bill Stanley, Director of the Global Climate Change Initiative at the Nature Conservancy, agreed. "Current policies to reduce global warming emissions do not do enough to encourage land use projects with biodiversity and social benefits. With these new standards we have a chance to change that and ensure multiple environmental gains. We hope the CCB Standards will influence the array of policies emerging at the state, national and international level." Stanley and staff members within the Nature Conservancy helped draft and refine the CCB Standards.

Another environmental group backing the CCB Standards is Conservation International (CI). Michael Totten, a senior director within CI's Center for Environmental Leadership in Business added, "As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has emphasized, climate change is inextricably linked to other major global problems like poverty and rapid biodiversity loss. We feel the best approach to land management in the 21st century is to take climate actions that avoid adverse tradeoffs and instead generate benefits that solve multiple problems concurrently. That is the essence of the CCB Standards. Conservation International is applying these Standards to all its 'Conservation Carbon' offset projects. Compared to purchasing green power at $30 or more per ton of CO2, Conservation Carbon delivers compelling multiple benefits at just $5 to $10 per ton."

In a major breakthrough, The State Forestry Administration (SFA) in China - which plants more trees than all other countries combined - announced they'll use the CCB Standards for several new projects in the Yunnan and Sichuan provinces. China plans to sell carbon credits from CCB multiple-benefit projects through the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol. "As an agency in charge of carbon sequestration management, we would like to facilitate the combination of the CCB Standards with current Chinese Afforestation and Reforestation criteria in Clean Development Mechanism projects and promote testing and extension to other reforestation projects in China." said Deputy Director Wang Chufeng of the Carbon Management Sequestration Office in the SFA.

In a letter sent to the CCBA in March, the SFA's Carbon Management Sequestration Office explained how the CCB Standards might even reach beyond carbon markets. "Although several national criteria on afforestation and reforestation projects have been established, due to a lack of specific consideration toward multiple benefits, some criteria are under revision. We think the CCB Standards could be a valuable reference source when we revise these national criteria."

"This is literally a multi-million hectare opportunity," remarked the CCBA's Toby Janson-Smith. "We are honored that China is so enthusiastic about the CCB Standards and look forward to working with them to bring large-scale multiple-benefit projects to fruition."

Lord John Browne, CEO of energy company BP, has always been at the forefront of climate change policy and responsible corporate behavior. In a ground breaking speech at Stanford University in the late 1990s, Lord Browne shocked the world by splitting from most large energy companies by acknowledging the global warming problem and the urgent need to take action. He also set a target for his company to reduce emissions significantly, and in doing so, saved hundreds of millions of dollars for BP's shareholders. Last week, Lord Browne praised the CCB Standards: "The CCB Standards increase the value of projects by creating real benefits for the climate, local communities and overall environmental quality".

Bill Stanley of The Nature Conservancy also commented on the bottom-line value of the Standards. "Our mission is to preserve the diversity of life on earth. Achieving this will require a scale of commitment that is both staggering and necessary. Governments, businesses, and sustainable development organizations that use these Standards will be able to simultaneously meet their climate, community, and biodiversity goals. The CCB Standards make scarce resources go farther and will help drive the kinds of projects that are so sorely needed."

Not everyone is on board, however. Said CCBA manager Niles, "We haven't heard much from certain governments and groups that don't want forestry to be part of the climate change solution. There is a fear out there that if some resources go to land-based climate change projects, other solutions like fuel efficiency initiatives and investments in renewables will be shortchanged. Of course we can't just do one and not the other, especially given that at least 20% of the global warming problem comes directly from forest loss. We need to throw every tool we have at making sure tomorrow's world is more secure than today's; and many of the best land-management opportunities won't be around in the future unless we seize them right now. If the planet is lucky, these early adopters of the Standards will be followed by others interested in getting their hands dirty to save our atmosphere, our plants and animals, while bringing hope to forest-dependent communities worldwide."

Niles is cautiously optimistic, and added, "The time has come for a tool like the CCB Standards; and with an anticipated $50 million worth of projects that will be using the Standards by the end of the year, we're off to an impressive start."