• September 16, 2024

A voluntary carbon credit market could transform the Irish landscape

It has been estimated that peatland covers at least a 1.46 million hectare area on the island of Ireland, or 21% of the entire land mass (Wilson, 2021). Of this 1.46 million hectares, 85% has been drained for various LULUCF uses (Wilson, 2021). Despite being poor soil for forestry and agriculture, those are the predominant uses of peatland in Ireland; only 18% of the inventory is in a natural state of conservation value.

Even then, there is reason to be skeptical of the actual protections in place for that small 18%. In January 2011, Ireland was referred to the ECJ on the grounds of failing to prevent the continued extraction of peat at large scale. The problem was only further evidenced in March this year, 13 years later, when researchers in Trinity College Dublin used satellite imagery to survey Ireland’s peatland areas -- and found that a significant area said to be under legal protection from cutting was in fact still being harvested. That wasn’t the work of Bord na Móna (“The Peat Board”), Ireland’s semi-state body formerly dedicated to developing its peatlands for energy.

In fact, the domestic extraction of peat far exceeds the nation’s current industrial harvest, emitting three times as much CO2. Bord na Móna itself has fully divested from using peat fuel, many of its plants having already been switched to energy alternatives like biogas, and has also decommissioned 33k hectares of mined peatland for restoration purposes (out of a portfolio of 80k ha). While the sale of peat for fuel (‘turf’) was technically banned in 2022, with an exemption made only for continued household use, anecdotal evidence suggests that such measures have yet to succeed. 

As peat becomes considered increasingly unsuitable for use as a fuel, the opportunities of an Irish voluntary carbon market should not be underestimated, particularly in the context of a Just Transition. Facilitating a healthy voluntary market for carbon credits could create new avenues of growth for the rural economy, albeit based on a stewardship model. This is critical in the case of Ireland, where most damage from continued extraction is caused by private individuals rather than corporate or institutional entities. However, to date, no voluntary carbon credits have been issued in the Irish market. 

The existence of Germany’s MoorFutures programme, the UK’s Peatland Code, and the Dutch VvV, shows that there is reason to be taking action now, not later: these are three distinct examples of regionally driven programmes that have already issued voluntary carbon credits in their respective markets, and have successfully helped to kickstart demand in doing so. As stakeholders in Ireland cautiously wait to see how the proverbial cookie crumbles over discussions on how the EU’s new Carbon Removals Certification Framework (CRCF) will be implemented, it is worth remembering that laws are followed only by people.

Written by: Fergus Efe O'Donoghue

Figure source: Habib, Ingle, Saunders & Connolly, 2024

Other resources:

https://www.friendsoftheirishenvironment.org/images/peat/peat_aerialsurvey_turfcutting_sacs_2012.pdf

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-51660-0

https://www.pressreader.com/ireland/irish-daily-mail/20240304/281513641106837

https://www.irishlegal.com/articles/ireland-referred-to-cjeu-over-turf-cutting