NEWS:

2 Feb, 2016


Developers of the Green Crediting Standards
A team of environmentalists from LUANAR,TEARFUND, Forest Research Institute of Malawi, (FRIM) Environmental Affairs Department (EAD) and Department of Forestry (DOF) convened for three days, from the 12th to 14th of January, 2016 at Kumudzi Eco-Learning Center to draft local Green Credit Standards for Malawi. This come after the global interest by scientists and stakeholders in the development of instruments to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Many countries have already put in place policies, and instruments to create the incentives that aim to protect the earth from the devastating effects of climate change. The application of these instruments depends on both local and national environments.

Harold Chisale, Lecturer in Forestry Utilization from LUANAR highlighted that Malawi currently has no Green Credit standards, neither are there institutions dealing in Green Crediting.

“In Malawi, communities have implemented interventions on carbon credits to promote forest conservation. However, the tools are regulated by international crediting standards as such they have not been widely adopted by local experts and communities who find these standards to be none compliant to the local environmental and financial status, Hence the partners saw the need to bridge this gap” said Chisale.

Green Credit is based on a consumer rewarding scheme where individuals and communities are rewarded green credits for every verifiable action that they take to reduce their carbon emission or promote environmental conservation. This scheme allows communities to earn cash through there Green initiative. Many countries including China have also adopted locally developed Green credit to support community initiatives.

Currently, Green Credit Standards have been drafted for the Forestry, Agriculture and Energy sectors and will be presented to various stakeholders for their input before seeking approvals from the relevant Ministries.

These standard sets out the methods and operating procedures that should be used to participate, qualify, and estimate the green credit/benefits from reducing deforestation and forest degradation and conserving, increasing and enhancing trees, forests and allied natural resources. They provides a framework for the quantification of green credits for specified energy projects, where energy efficiency and solid waste diversion activities have been initiated by a Sustainable Community Service Promoter (SCSP) for an assortment of Client Facilities grouped in Malawi.

According to Prof Emmanuel Kaunda, Deputy Vice Chancellor at LUANAR, Green crediting aims to compensate communities and individuals involved in reforestation and in the process encourage / promote reforestation and sustainable environmental management initiatives, “As a University, we are supposed to champion the development of tools that will enhance environmental and food security sustainability”. Said Kaunda.

Speaking on behalf of the Government, Principle Environmental Official, Clement Tikiwa said through the Green Crediting scheme, the government will contribute to the global effort in reducing greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. “Green credits offers government an innovative and effective way of reducing carbon emissions and bring about the social change necessary to tackle climate change.

Layton Vasulu of TEARFUND urged Malawians to take green initiatives seriously having experienced firsthand the effects of climate change with late and erratic rainfall during the 2014- 2015 and 2015-2016 growing seasons.

The drafting of Green Credit Standards is being supported with funding from the Government of Norway through the Capacity Building for Managing Climate Change in Malawi (CABMACC) with additional funding from the Scottish Government through The Evangelical Association Relief Fund ( TEAR-FUND).

Written by Christie Kang'ombe