Fractions of permanence – Squaring the cycle of sink carbon accounting

As vegetation is an unstable dynamicsystem, emission credits generated bycarbon (C) sink projects under the CleanDevelopment Mechanism (CDM) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) KyotoProtocol suffer from an inherent permanencerisk. There are basically two approacheshow to balance greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions andC uptake in vegetation. The merit ofthe so-called `ton-year approach' is todestroy the fiction of infinity whentalking about permanent sequestration. Themerit of the temporary credits is todestroy the fiction of comparabilitybetween technological emission reductionand sequestration in natural systems. Thispresent article discusses the pros and consof both approaches, which have beenbrought forward as more or less unrelatedalternatives. By making use of bothmethodologies and providing a link betweenboth proposals on permanence in CDMforestry, the article puts forward theproposal of leasing reduction certificates.