What is Action for Climate Change?

Action for Climate Change is a new program managed by Conservation Volunteers.

It is a range of initiatives supported by businesses and individuals interested in reducing their impact on the environment.

It will also develop a series of carbon forests which will act as carbon sinks using native vegetation across Australia and New Zealand. 

One of the Action for Climate Change initiatives will link community volunteers to projects aimed at supporting species at risk due to the effects of dangerous climate change. 

Who is Conservation Volunteers?

Conservation Volunteers is Australia’s leading practical conservation organisation. In 2006 Conservation Volunteers also commenced operations in New Zealand.

Since 1982 Conservation Volunteers has fulfilled its mission to attract and manage a force of volunteers in practical conservation projects for the betterment of the environment.
 Key information about Conservation Volunteers:

1. Welcomes more than 10,000 volunteers a year.
2. Works in partnership to assist more than 2,000 priority conservation projects.
3. Real conservation results, including planting more than 1 million trees per annum.      
4. Provides training to more than 1,000 individuals and groups per annum.
5. Works in partnership with all levels of government.
6. Partners with many top businesses to tackle conservation priorities.
7. Has a network of more than 20 offices and 150 full-time employees.
8. Member of the IUCN (World Conservation Union).
9. Federation of Youth Travel Organisations.
10. Founding member of the International Alliance of Conservation Volunteers.
11. Winner of numerous Banksia Awards.
12. Winner of  the PM’s Award for Excellence in Community Business Partnerships
13. Winner of United Nations Global 500 Award.

Where does the Action for Climate Change program operate?

Action for Climate Change is conducting its activities throughout Australia and New Zealand in line with other Conservation Volunteers programs.

 What am I supporting and what do I get when I join Action for Climate Change?

1. The ability to support a series of carbon forests across the country
2. Ongoing development of further sites including pest weed and animal control as required
3. A certificate acknowledging your membership and support towards the program's annual targets
4. Practical support to  threatened species under threat due to dangerous Climate Change
5. Bumper sticker showing your support for this practical program
6. Regular updates showing the progress and results of the program
7. Ongoing invitations to visit carbon forest sites and participate in revegetation as a volunteer.
8. Regular reporting of each site via the Action for Climate Change website in regards to the biodiversity and carbon storage outcomes.

 

What support is needed to assist Action for Climate Change?

In the financial year 2007/08 Action for Climate Change is aiming to deliver a set of activities that will result in a potential 5,500 tonnes of carbon being stored in native vegetation.

There will be several species currently being threatened by climate change conditions which will be protected by practical action involving volunteers and supporters of the Action for Climate Change program.

Progress towards these targets will be reported to supporters via the website. 

All supporter funding will be used to support the following -

1. Provision of seedlings on accredited sites.
2. Site preparation on accredited sites. 
3. Land manager / owner maintenance support.
4. Site coordination, mapping, record keeping and sequestration estimation
5. Covenanting (or other form of permanency guarantee)
6. Covering costs of community and volunteer plantings (transport, catering, tools, insurances, protective equipment and supervision etc)
7. Direct costs of threatened species projects (these projects do not result in carbon storage but rather assist species suffering from issues caused by dangerous climate change such as rising temperatures, sea levels etc)
8. Ongoing development of educational support to Action for Climate Change supporters aimed at reducing initial emissions
9. General administration costs of running the program

Can I support Action for Climate Change on a regular basis?

YES. – simply visit the Join Us page.

Are financial contributions to Action for Climate Change tax deductible?

Yes

How does Action for Climate Change calculate carbon emissions?

The Action for Climate Change program at all times uses the calculations and formulae available to the general community on the Department of Climate Change website together with specific regional sequestration rates determined using the Department of Climate Change National Carbon Accounting System (NCAS) Fullcam Software.

What standards are being used by Action for Climate Change in regards to carbon storage estimates? 

It is aimed to have a series of Action for Climate Change sites which will be accredited formally by the Department of Climate Change Greenhouse Friendly standards.   Additionally, carbon sequestration estimates are conducted using the best existing research data in simulations for each site using the Department of Climate Change National Carbon Accounting System (NCAS) FullCam software.

Is there a verification process?

Yes. Under the formally accredited (*1) Greenhouse Friendly sites there is a guaranteed verification process where carbon storage in Action for Climate Change carbon forest is independently verified and approved Greenhouse Friendly. These results will be reported to supporters via the Action for Climate Change website.

Where is Action for Climate Change developing its carbon forest sites?

The Action for Climate Change carbon forest sites are being identified on an ongoing basis.  Sites are, first and foremost selected based upon their positive outcomes to the natural environment. Of course all sites will also meet the Kyoto compliance principles of additionality (*2), permanence (*3) and verification (*4).

How much is Action for Climate Change charging to offset one tonne of carbon in 2007/08?

Action for Climate Change is not looking to compete with other abatement providers in the carbon offset market. Rather, Action for Climate Change is looking to receive financial support from businesses and individuals that allow it to deliver its aims of emission reductions, carbon forests and increased biodiversity outcomes as well as supporting threatened species. 

Will Action for Climate Change ever sell its stored carbon?

There is no plan for Action for Climate Change to ‘sell’ its stored carbon at any point.  All project targets will be delivered using the funds provided by supporters of the program in the first instance.  As some of the Action for Climate Change carbon forests will be Greenhouse Friendly accredited, it is possible in the future to raise further funds by the sale of stored carbon.

Any decision to act on this possibility would be done with clear transparency to all supporters and as the Action for Climate Change program is a program of Conservation Volunteers (a not for profit organisation with positive environmental outcomes as its mission) any decision would only be made with a guarantee of all carbon sold being replaced by the same or greater carbon being created at another site.

What happens if vegetation is lost through natural circumstances (bushfires etc)?

The Action for Climate Change program intends to develop a risk management strategy based upon the following principles.

1. All carbon storage estimates are based using the most conservative estimates
2. Any future actual carbon storage is assessed by independent verifiers
3. All carbon storage (potential or actual) reported is based upon 80% of actual calculations
4. All carbon storage (potential or actual) will be reported upon as total of the series of carbon forests (again at 80% of total)
5. By ‘spreading’ the risk across many sites the risk of loss is minimised
6. Substantial replacement plantings are also allowed in all management plans of Action for Climate Change carbon forests.

Are there any differences between the Action for Climate Change carbon offset program and other carbon offset providers?

1. Action for Climate Change is developing a series of Greenhouse Friendly accredited sites in Australia which will mean that Conservation Volunteers will become an Approved Greenhouse Friendly Abatement provider.
2. New Zealand sites will also be selected based upon the Kyoto principles.
3. Action for Climate Change sites are selected initially on their positive contribution to biodiversity outcomes (which means that in some cases the carbon storage rate may be low).
4. The Action for Climate Change program will be reporting directly to its supporters via the web page and will report on each individual site as well as the total outcome of the program. Carbon storage together with the biodiversity outcomes will form the main sections of all reporting
5. Supporters will be able to visit the sites and participate in voluntary involvement.
6. Community volunteer days will be promoted for the sites and will be promoted via the Action for Climate Change and Conservation Volunteers websites.

 

All programs of this type have points of difference.  Action for Climate Change does however provide a credible and transparent program which links biodiversity outcomes to true carbon capture and storage. 

How long does it take for Action for Climate Change carbon forests to actually capture and store carbon?

In line with the accreditation process and the Kyoto principles, all calculations on carbon being sequestered into Action for Climate Change carbon forest vegetation is based upon a 70 year timeframe.  Of course the rate of sequestration is higher in the earlier years of growth.  However, for all calculations Action for Climate Change uses the average annual rate across the 70 year period.  So, for example, a carbon forest site may be estimated (using the Department of Climate Change National Carbon Accounting system software) to sequester 350 tonnes per hectare over the 70 year period.  Action for Climate Change would then use a 5 tonne per year rate (5 tonnes x 70 years = 350 tonnes) as the average figure in calculations

Why does Action for Climate Change charge per tonne of carbon offset rather than per tree planted?

The number of trees per tonne of CO2 offset varies depending on factors such as climate, rainfall, species type and other regional factors.  Action for Climate Change plantings are based upon biodiversity plantings using the indigenous varieties of any specific location.  All species have different capacity for carbon storage based upon their size; growth rates etc so it is simply not sensible to compare one tree or shrub with another. However all vegetation does store carbon so it is far better to use tonnes of carbon as an accurate measure of the outcome we are after. All Action for Climate Change calculations are based upon tonnes of carbon. It would be irresponsible for Action for Climate Change to claim number of trees as the measure of our success.

*1 Accredited means - accreditation by the Department of Climate Change according to Greenhouse Friendly™ standards. 
*2  Additionality means - The activity / project undertaken on the site would not have occurred without the assistance provided by the Action for Climate Change program.  
*3  Permanence means - The sites selected ensure some form of permanence (proven and attached to the projects proposal documentation) for the vegetation.
*4 Verification means - The sites will be assessed and reported upon on the Action for Climate Change website. All sites will be reported upon based upon its potential and actual carbon storage capacity (this will be done as part of the Greenhouse Friendly accreditation process). Subsequent estimations of actual carbon stored will be undertaken using independent verifiers.