Forest Offsets and the California Compliance Market: Bringing an Abstract Ecosystem Good to Market
Loading...
View/Download File
Persistent link to this item
Statistics
View StatisticsJournal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Title
Forest Offsets and the California Compliance Market: Bringing an Abstract Ecosystem Good to Market
Published Date
2016-10
Publisher
Elsevier
Type
Article
Abstract
Improved Forest Management (IFM) projects under the California cap-and-trade market allow production of new, non-traditional commodities: forest carbon offsets. Earlier analyses have considered forest offsets generated through tree planting in the Global South, as vehicles for sustainable development. However, the California IFM program is testing offset production in new geographic and forest management contexts: with offsets produced and consumed within the US on working (timber producing) forests. With data drawn from California IFM project design documents and in-depth interviews with carbon project developers, this study traces the development, sale, and maintenance of forest offsets, in order to map access to benefits along the commodity chain. Results reveal that the cost and complexity of rendering biological services ‘real’ for market legitimacy are reducing benefits to marginal landowners, who lack needed capital, knowledge, and technology to bring offsets to market. An important insight of this study is that the state has maintained power over program participation and offset supply through control of the forest offset methodology, creating a production process largely mediated by the state, adding risk and uncertainty to market participation. Findings provide an empirical example of neoliberal nature and offer broader lessons on governance and benefit distribution for ecosystem service commodity chains.
Description
Related to
Replaces
License
Collections
Series/Report Number
Funding information
This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture McIntire-Stennis program, accession number 231837.
Isbn identifier
Doi identifier
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2016.06.021
Previously Published Citation
Kelly, Erin Clover, and Marissa Bongiovanni Schmitz. "Forest offsets and the California compliance market: Bringing an abstract ecosystem good to market." Geoforum 75 (2016): 99-109.
Suggested citation
Kelly, Erin Clover; Schmitz, Marissa Bongiovanni. (2016). Forest Offsets and the California Compliance Market: Bringing an Abstract Ecosystem Good to Market. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2016.06.021.
Content distributed via the University Digital Conservancy may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor. By using these files, users agree to the Terms of Use. Materials in the UDC may contain content that is disturbing and/or harmful. For more information, please see our statement on harmful content in digital repositories.