Karina Custódio* and Nikole Cantoara**
The new version of CCAL (Carbon Calculator) is able to provide data that supports the implementation of jurisdictional carbon credit programs and the optimization of lawsuits for climate damage. The platform is a free mechanism that calculates the carbon stocks present in Brazilian vegetation. Its new version was presented at an event that brought together members of the public authorities and the justice system in Brasilia on Friday (10).
Support for jurisdictional carbon programs is provided through the production of reports with regional data. These programs are carried out by federal and state governments, making it possible to finance forest protection by selling the carbon captured and stored in vegetation through the REDD+ mechanism (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation).
“CCAL provides what the credit market demands: data with robustness and climate integrity based on a proven reduction in emissions, promoting transparency of the data, since it is easily accessible through the platform. In addition to being aligned with official federal government data reported to the UNFCCC [United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change],” said Gabriela Savian, IPAM’s Director of Public Policy, in her participation in the panel on MRV (Measurement Reporting and Verification).
On the other hand, the contribution to legal cases of accountability for environmental crimes is made by determining compensation for cases arising from illegal deforestation. The monetary value of the climate impact, also known as climate damage, is calculated according to the amount of carbon lost in plant suppression, as measured by CCAL. The carbon lost is priced according to the value per ton determined by the Amazon Fund.
“The forest is different from a car accident where you pay for the repair and next week your car is ready again – it might take 30 years to get back to its original biodiversity condition. During all this time that it is not acting, for example, to regulate the climate, deforestation will be contributing to the worsening of climate change,” said Ana Carolina Bragança, a public prosecutor, defending the expansion of the incorporation of climate damage into the reparation of environmental damage.
Launched ten years ago, CCAL was created to support the monitoring of climate policies in the country, which has 46% of its greenhouse gas emissions caused by deforestation, according to data from SEEG (Greenhouse Gas Estimation System).
“The interesting thing about CCAL is that it brings together, on one platform, all the information that researchers need when monitoring carbon stocks. You can see the flow of the element, where the deforestation and degradation events took place. All this in an accessible way, generating statistics and reports in a flexible way for the user.”
The event was organized by IPAM in partnership with ABRAMPA (Brazilian Association of Members of the Environmental Public Prosecutor’s Office), MPF (Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office); with support from UK pact, the Moore Foundation, ICS (Institute for Climate and Society) and Norad (Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation).
Cover photo: Sara Leal/IPAM*
IPAM communications analyst, karina.sousa@ipam.org.br*
IPAM communications intern**