The new carbon credit market must not be at the expense of the EU’s food security, warns the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) in an opinion adopted on Wednesday 8 February.
Loïg-Chesnais-Girard (PES, French), President of the Brittany region, is rapporteur for the CoR on regional adaptation strategies for ‘low carbon agriculture’ (see EUROPE 13092/3). He called for regions to be involved in the EU certification system “to ensure that projects are adapted to local needs and do not jeopardise food security in Europe”.
According to the rapporteur, the European Commission “must ensure that when it launches this new carbon credit market, it does not become a tool that redirects agricultural activity away from food markets”, he told the press.
For the CoR, carbon certification should not be activated outside the food and agriculture sector. “Otherwise, there is a risk that the rest of the economic sectors will take an interest, which could lead to major financial bubbles”, warned Loïg-Chesnais-Girard.
Another priority is to “fight against speculation and greenwashing, since we can end up with a market that is completely disconnected from food”. It is also necessary to fight against land grabbing.
Link to the opinion: https://aeur.eu/f/59m (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur and Hélène Seynaeve)