A new study in npj Sustainable Agriculture suggests that the additionality requirement in carbon markets is hindering large scale soil carbon sequestration. By only rewarding carbon that would not have existed without payments, the current system ignores existing carbon stocks and discourages farmers from investing in long term land management. Researchers propose replacing additionality with a carbon asset class that monetizes existing soil organic carbon. In a Texas based model, this shift led to a significant increase in carbon sequestration, as existing carbon stocks provided the revenue needed to incentivize further investment in sustainable farming practices.
