“It’s really important to understand the difference between carbon stock and carbon stock change. There’s a big difference between how to measure a carbon stock, so say, in 2022 this forest had 150 tons of carbon. And that’s a very useful number to know. However, in terms of emissions or removals, every year it’s actually the difference, the change in that carbon stock. So what you need to know is, did it go from 150 to 155 the next year, or did it drop? Did you harvest the forest or did it to come down to 70?

Probably the easiest equivalent is to think about a coal mine. We’re not really interested in how much coal is sitting in the ground in the mine from a climate change perspective; what we care about is how much is getting burnt. And that’s similar to the way of thinking about the land sector. It’s not the carbon that’s standing there right now, it’s about how that carbon is going to change in the future, either up or down.”, explains Rob Waterworth on measuring emissions in the land sector and insetting to achieve net zero.

In this podcast episode, we speak with Rob Waterworth, CEO of FLINTpro and the Mullion Group. The Mullion Group is a global software and consulting company, highly sought after for its expertise in greenhouse gas inventory systems for the land sector.

We talk about carbon emissions and removals in the land sector such as carbon sequestration in vegetation and soil carbon, and discuss terms such as carbon stock and carbon stock change. We chat about the challenges that both government and private sectors face in accounting for carbon in the land sector and how FLINTpro’s solutions and innovations can help them.

Rob also shares some insights on how companies with large parcels of land should plan their net zero journey and the role of insetting in achieving net zero targets.

To view or download this episode’s transcript, please click here.

About The Mullion Group and FLINTpro

The Mullion Group is a global software and consulting company, highly sought after for its expertise in greenhouse gas inventory systems for the land sector.

The Mullion Group is the developer of FLINTpro, the world’s first land-based data integration software system with capability to measure, report and manage climate impact for the Agriculture, Forestry and Land Use sector; and for large corporates and financial institutions with land portfolio assets and land investment strategies.

FLINTpro is unique due to its data-agnostic design, meaning data inputs from satellites, ground measurements and models can be combined and processed into the most useful and relevant information needed to meet land sector policy requirements and guidelines, environmental reporting, and land management decisions.

If you want to get in touch with FLINTpro, please visit the following:

• FLINTpro’s website – https://flintpro.com/
• FLINTpro’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/flintpro

About Rob Waterworth

Rob is the CEO of FLINTpro and the Mullion Group. He has extensive experience in land sector monitoring and management, focusing on greenhouse gas estimation and policy development. He worked from project to national scales, designing and developing several operational land sector inventories, emissions projections systems and technical processes for nesting projects within national systems to support emissions trading.

Rob has authored several papers on monitoring systems and, in 2007, was part of the team awarded the Eureka Prize, Australia’s premier science prize, for work in developing integrated remote sensing and ground data systems.

Rob is currently leading the development of new international monitoring tools for forestry and agriculture, including FLINTpro.

If you want to get in touch with Rob, you can connect with him on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-waterworth-85917a8/

Links to resources mentioned in the podcast

• Global Forest Observations Initiative – https://www.fao.org/gfoi/overview/office/en/
• Greenhouse Gas Protocol: Land Sector and Removals Guidance – https://ghgprotocol.org/land-sector-and-removals-guidance
• Verra – https://verra.org/
• Emissions Reduction Fund – http://www.cleanenergyregulator.gov.au/ERF
• Full Carbon Accounting Model (FullCAM) – https://www.industry.gov.au/data-and-publications/full-carbon-accounting-model-fullcam
• Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) – https://tnfd.global/
• 2022 Blue Carbon Method under the Emissions Reduction Fund – http://www.cleanenergyregulator.gov.au/ERF/Pages/Method%20development%20tracker/Blue-carbon.aspx
• Global Mangrove Watch – https://www.globalmangrovewatch.org/
• Blue Carbon Lab – https://www.bluecarbonlab.org/
• Kyoto Protocol – https://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol
• Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) – http://www.cleanenergyregulator.gov.au/OSR/ANREU/types-of-emissions-units/australian-carbon-credit-units

Other relevant information

• 100% Renewables created this flowchart to show the options that are available to large landholders for opportunities to sequester carbon:

• CSIRO’s LOOC-C tool – allows you to quickly assess options on the land for certain projects offered under Australia’s federal carbon emissions programme, the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) – https://looc-c.farm/
• As discussed in the podcast, most companies with land-intensive operations don’t account for AFOLU emissions or removals in their targets. A key barrier has been the lack of available standards and guidance. This barrier is being removed with the FLAG SBT guidance along with the forthcoming GHG Protocol guidance. FLAG SBTs are science-based targets that apply to a company’s Forest, Land, and Agriculture-related emissions including carbon emissions associated with land use change (LUC). Example are biomass and soil carbon losses from deforestation and forest degradation, conversion of coastal wetlands, emissions from land management (enteric fermentation, biomass burning, nutrient management, fertiliser use and manure management and carbon emissions from machinery and fertiliser manufacture – https://sciencebasedtargets.org/sectors/forest-land-and-agriculture#:~:text=The%20SBTi%20Forest%2C%20Land%20and,land%2Drelated%20emissions%20and%20removals.

Meet the host

Barbara Albert is the Co-CEO of 100% Renewables. She is passionate about business and works to make organisations’ transition to net-zero emissions simpler and profitable. Barbara is the award-winning author of ‘Energy Unlimited – Four Steps to 100% Renewable Energy‘, one of the world’s most important books on renewable energy, as ranked by peers and experts in the industry.

About 100% Renewables

100% Renewables is a national consultancy specialising in the development of Net Zero, carbon neutral and climate positive strategies. We work with large energy-using businesses and government organisations with ambitious climate action goals.

In addition to delivering Net Zero strategies and helping our clients achieve carbon neutrality under Climate Active, our other services are:

• Climate risk and TCFD reporting
• Carbon footprinting
• Preparing for ASRS reporting
• Science-based target setting
• Value chain emissions and low-carbon procurement
• Creating training courses and guides.

We are a leader in sustainability communication through our training courses, our “Driving Net Profit with Zero Emissions” podcast and videos, and through our blog posts and monthly newsletters.

Connect with 100% Renewables

• Visit our Youtube channel for lots of net zero explainer videos: Driving Net Profit with Zero Emissions
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