Abstract: Ecosystem services are the benefits that humans derive from natural ecosystems, such as carbon sequestration and storage, air and water purification, and nutrient cycling. Carbon Dew is a Community of Practice that aims to promote fair and equitable climate solutions by harnessing the latest direct measurement tools available to science in evaluating such services. We strive to bring together stakeholders across the entire climate and carbon spectrum to address the negative consequences of climate change by catalyzing cross-disciplinary expertise.
Our focus is on direct measurements of greenhouse gas (GHG) exchange in and out of the air, which can activate the full potential of impartial and standardized direct measurements across different climate solution sectors. We are not an academic study, but rather a long-term development of an approach achieved via a technology transfer from academic climate science to practical applications outside academia.
Our initial activities include creating a balanced community representing all stakeholders and experts in the areas of climate solutions and GHG emissions trading, initiating group contributions to workshops and conferences educating on the value of direct GHG measurements for equitable climate solutions and emissions trading, and developing collaborative funding proposals, co-author publications, and pilot projects testing the effectiveness of specific approaches.
Our stakeholders include existing natural and managed ecosystems, growers, industry, municipalities and local governments, for-profit organizations, national governments, and global non-profits. All of these groups have the potential to reduce carbon emissions and contribute to practical and equitable climate solutions.
Our presentation provides a detailed overview of our approach and highlights various achievable goals at different scales, with examples ranging from a farmer receiving blockchain microtransactions for implementing cover crops to a gas leak reduction at distribution facilities, and assigning a commodity-like value to ecosystem services provided by a neighborhood forest.
By promoting the value of direct GHG measurements and cross-disciplinary collaboration to put a reliable robust value on ecosystem services, Carbon Dew seeks to enable fair and equitable climate solutions that benefit both people and the planet.
