Project Credible opens public consultation on its report on “Barriers and incentives for sharing input-data needed in carbon farming and MRV systems in Europe”

Balancing the need for accuracy and for sustainable and affordable costs of certification systems, and the specific role played by incentivising data sharing among public and private actors involved, is the topic of discussion of one of Project Credible’s Focus Groups, which has recently published a report now open for public consultation here. The document “Barriers and incentives for sharing input-data needed in carbon farming and MRV systems in Europe”, by Maria Fantappiè (CREA) et al., delves into this subject, providing a series of recommendations to overcome several technical, economic and legal challenges, and towards harmonisation.

As highlighted in the report, an EU-coherent Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) system needs the development of agreed rules for data sharing among public and private sectors, together with open access tools and procedures that enable the standardisation and harmonisation of data. In this context, the document outlines a series of principles essential to promote data sharing, such as collecting data once and using it for multiple purposes, respecting personal data privacy, defining and agreeing on data re-use, giving a service back, and rewarding intellectual property rights.

The authors also suggest a series of measures to adopt, such as clarifying the concept of baseline to distinguish between different climate actions and recognising the representativeness of the data used as a core criterion for the establishment of a robust standardised baseline. Additionally, the document underscores the need for a full implementation of INSPIRE regulation for all types of data needed in the MRV systems, and explores which mechanisms should be applied to incentivise private companies to share their data.

Interestingly, the wide array of participants of the Focus Group –belonging both to the public and private sector, and both to research and to farm-advisory certification bodies– has led to some dissenting views, which are collected in the report. Don’t miss the opportunity to have your say in this public consultation, which is funded by the European Union and monitored closely by the Expert Group on Carbon Removals that supports the Commission in its efforts to develop the Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming (CRCF) Regulation.