THE PROBLEM

There are not enough nature-based carbon projects despite the high demand from investors. A study by the Gallifrey Foundation concludes this is due to the complexity, expense and time required to design, register and accredit a project.

While the study was focussed on mangroves, which sequester up to five times more carbon than terrestrial species, the solutions identified can apply to most nature-based carbon projects and apply across four pillars; Political, Social, Scientific and Economic.

WHAT IS THE FAIR CARBON PROJECT?

The Fair Carbon project is a collaboration between leading conservation NGOs and other stakeholders to make it easier to design, register and validate carbon projects.

The primary objective of the Fair Carbon programme is to help local projects take meaningful action to protect, restore and expand their natural resources, biodiversity and carbon stores.

It is also a primary objective that these projects engage the local communities, respect gender and indigenous rights.

While there are several ways to finance Fair Carbon projects the highest priority should be to reduce carbon emissions to begin with and protect existing natural resources.

WHY?

The current accreditation process for carbon projects is difficult. Many potential projects do not have the expertise to do this on their own.

OBJECTIVES

· Simplify the process of designing, registering, validating, and monetising nature-based carbon projects

· Facilitate the needs of accreditation, validation, donors and investors

· De-risk projects with independent monitoring start to finish

· Scale the number of projects creating more benefit all around

FAIR CARBON PARTNERS – working in collaboration

IUCN

BLUE Marine Foundation

Blue Ventures

brainforest

CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL

Gallifrey Foundation

Mission Blue

Mangrove Action Project

Marine Conservation Institute

Plan Vivo

south pole

Sylvera

The Nature Conservancy

The Ocean Foundation

Wetlands International

This paper summarises the key challenges to the development and replication of blue carbon projects and proposes specific comprehensive action.  Many of the issues covered can apply equally to terrestrial carbon offset programmes and should be considered in that context.

Blue Carbon, i.e. the amount of carbon stored and sequestered in coastal habitats like mangroves, salt marshes and sea grass, is one of the most effective stores of carbon, up to five times more than terrestrial forests per hectare.  There is great potential in preserving these coastal habitats and greater danger if we do not.

Mangroves offer protection against more frequent and stronger tropical storms. They support rich biodiversity in addition to being one of the most effective stores of carbon on this planet.

Over a third of mangroves have been destroyed since 1980 to make charcoal, build houses, create aquaculture ponds and tourist infrastructure. This has released tens of millions of tonnes of carbon.

There is an urgent need to preserve the existing carbon stocks that would be released if the mangroves and other coastal habitats were destroyed. How can we accomplish this?

Download Report

When we ask ourselves to consider if we have been good stewards of our natural resources we must admit we have not always lived up to our potential.  There is, however, one area where it is not too late and where we have the chance to get it right – the deep sea.  This report lays out the issues and suggests a responsible way forward.

Download Report

INFOGRAPHICS

The Gallifrey Foundation developed Plastic Free Campus to mobilise student action on single-use plastics consumption and create change at four levels: in the school, at home, at school events and in the community. The self-directed programme is available online and is free of charge.  The “PFC” programme is now available in multiple languages.

Now introducing a companion programme using the same pedagogical process, Carbon-free Campus gives schools and students the tools to assess their carbon footprint and to take tangible action to reduce this

Plastic has penetrated everyday life: from clothing to coatings and from transport vehicles to cleaning products. The disadvantages of plastics however are becoming more and more visible. Large quantities of plastics leak into rivers and oceans, with adverse effects to marine ecosystems and related economic activities

Plastic wastes include all size residues, from large visible and easily removable items, to small invisible particles. This report investigates the sources of primary microplastics; i.e. microplastics that are directly released into the environment as small plastic particles (< 5 mm size).

Download Report

POPs (Persistent Organic Pollutants), such as pesticides and PCBs that bind with micro-plastics, are ingested by marine organisms and accumulate up the food chain.  This process, known as bioaccumulation or biomagnification, can also affect humans.

Some plastics used in food and drink packaging contain endocrine disruptors that leach into food and drink and are a potential time bomb. Already we are seeing direct consequences of certain additives and plasticisers on fertility and early pubescence.

These are urgent public health issues.
Please see more in the excellent report by CIEL.

INFOGRAPHICS  Available in three layouts and 2 digital formats, PDF and PNG:

HOW PLASTICS AFFECT US – WHAT CAN YOU DO?

HOW AND WHAT PDF                                       HOW AND WHAT PNG

ONE SUBJECT PER INFOGRAPHIC

1 EXTRACTION PDF                                           1 EXTRACTION PNG

2 MANUFACTURE PDF                                      2 MANUFACTURE PNG

3 CONSUMPTION PDF                                       3 CONSUMPTION PNG

4 WASTE PDF                                                        4 WASTE PNG

ALL SUBJECTS ON ONE A3 INFOGRAPHIC – DIFFERENT COLOURS W/FOOTNOTES

A3 PORTRAIT TRANSPARENT PDF               A3 PORTRAIT TRANSPARENT PNG

A3 PORTRAIT SKY BLUE PDF                          A3 PORTRAIT SKY BLUE PNG

A3 PORTRAIT BLUE PDF                                    A3 PORTRAIT BLUE PNG

A3 PORTRAIT GREEN PDF                                 A3 PORTRAIT GREEN PNG

A3 PORTRAIT ORANGE PDF                              A3 PORTRAIT ORANGE PNG

ALL SUBJECTS ON ONE SCROLLING INFOGRAPHIC 

LANDSCAPE SCROLLING PDF                           LANDSCAPE SCROLLING PNG

PORTRAIT SCROLLING PDF                               PORTRAIT SCROLLING PNG

The Gallifrey Foundation engaged PCI Media Impact to create a new comic series based on SDG Goal 14 – Life Below Water and distributed via Ministries of Education this project is helping to raise the profile of this issue in national curricula and encourage action to reduce marine debris. Behaviour change at a young age can instil habits and a sense of environmental citizenship for life.

DOWNLOAD IN YOUR LANGUAGE

Poseidon Patrol – the original

Poseidon Patrol – Reef Riders

www.comicsunitingnations.org
If you are interested in printer-ready versions of the comics, please write to: info@mediaimpact.org Poseidon Patrol – SDG 14.

Deep Sea Mining

To lay out the issues and suggest a responsible way forward the Gallifrey Foundation has produced in collaboration with the IUCN “Deep seabed mining – A rising environmental challenge”.

INFOGRAPHICS

Plastic Free Campus

Plastic Free Campus has been developed to mobilise student action on single-use plastics consumption. The self-directed programme is available online.

Primary Micro-Plastics in the Oceans

Plastic wastes include all size residues, from large visible and easily removable items, to small invisible particles. This report investigates the sources of primary microplastics; i.e. microplastics that are directly released into the environment as small plastic particles (< 5 mm size).

Marine Education – Comic Books

A comic book series based on SDG Goal 14 – Life Below Water distributed via Ministries of Education to raise the profile of these issues in national curricula and encourage action to reduce marine debris. Behaviour change at a young age can instil habits and a sense of environmental citizenship for life.

DOWNLOAD IN YOUR LANGUAGE

Poseidon Patrol – the original

Poseidon Patrol – Reef Riders

www.comicsunitingnations.org

If you are interested in printer-ready versions of the comics, please write to: info@mediaimpact.org Poseidon Patrol – SDG 14.

SEA FEVER E-Book

The greatest danger to the oceans is not pollution, acidification or overfishing but the ignorance and apathy that allows these incidents to occur in the first place. To promote a better understanding of the oceans’ importance, the Foundation commissioned Sea Fever – People and their Ocean Planet.

Plastics Pollution – Azores 2016

Follow-up Report 2018

The Gallifrey Foundation funded the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) research project. Establishing a Baseline on Marine Litter in the Azores – AZORLIT in collaboration with IMAR Center of the University of the Azores, the Observatory of the Azores (OMA and the Regional Directorate for Maritime Affairs (DGRAM).

Plastic Pollution – Health Issues Infographics

INFOGRAPHICS
Available in three layouts and two digital formats, PDF and PNG:

HOW PLASTICS AFFECT US – WHAT CAN YOU DO?

HOW AND WHAT PDF                                       HOW AND WHAT PNG

ONE SUBJECT PER INFOGRAPHIC

1 EXTRACTION PDF                                           1 EXTRACTION PNG

2 MANUFACTURE PDF                                      2 MANUFACTURE PNG

3 CONSUMPTION PDF                                       3 CONSUMPTION PNG

4 WASTE PDF                                                        4 WASTE PNG

ALL SUBJECTS ON ONE A3 INFOGRAPHIC – DIFFERENT COLOURS W/FOOTNOTES

A3 PORTRAIT TRANSPARENT PDF               A3 PORTRAIT TRANSPARENT PNG

A3 PORTRAIT SKY BLUE PDF                          A3 PORTRAIT SKY BLUE PNG

A3 PORTRAIT BLUE PDF                                    A3 PORTRAIT BLUE PNG

A3 PORTRAIT GREEN PDF                                 A3 PORTRAIT GREEN PNG

A3 PORTRAIT ORANGE PDF                              A3 PORTRAIT ORANGE PNG

ALL SUBJECTS ON ONE SCROLLING INFOGRAPHIC 

LANDSCAPE SCROLLING PDF                           LANDSCAPE SCROLLING PNG

PORTRAIT SCROLLING PDF                               PORTRAIT SCROLLING PNG

Sea Fever – E Book

The greatest danger to the oceans is not pollution, acidification or overfishing but the ignorance and apathy that allows these incidents to occur in the first place. To promote a better understanding of the oceans’ importance, the Foundation commissioned Sea Fever – People and their Ocean Planet.

Written by the Foundation’s Advisor on Marine Programs, Dr. Luc Cuyvers, Sea Fever – People and their Ocean Planet examines how we have used (and sometimes abused) the ocean throughout the centuries.

Plastics Pollution – AZORLIT

The Gallifrey Foundation funded the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) research project. Establishing a Baseline on Marine Litter in the Azores – AZORLIT in collaboration with IMAR Center of the University of the Azores, the Observatory of the Azores (OMA and the Regional Directorate for Maritime Affairs (DGRAM).  Completed in 2016 a follow-up report was produced in 2018.

Plastics Pollution – Maldives

The Gallifrey Foundation has collaborated with IUCN Maldives to carry out a local Reef Guardian project, a community-oriented project to encourage sustainable reef behaviour. Working with the Maldivian Ministry of Education, changes to the national curriculum are being proposed in order to better institutionalize education on this topic and encourage youth-led action.

Plastics Pollution – Jordan

The Gallifrey Foundation worked with Experience Jordan to develop plastic free hikes on the Jordan Trail. This has required rethinking how meals and water are sourced and delivered along this multi-day hike. Hikers have been encouraged to collect trash along the way.

As much as this may seem counter-intuitive, limiting plastic waste, even in the desert, makes sense because over the centuries as these materials break down into smaller and smaller pieces they will be flushed from the wadis and streams eventually into the sea. “Pick up a piece of litter in the desert and save a fish”.