GLOSSARY
Blockchain
Blockchain is a technology for storing and transmitting information. This technology offershigh standards of transparency and security because it operates without a central control body. This technology allows users to share data without intermediaries. Using blockchain offers many advantages such as increased transaction speed, high security, improved productivity and efficiency.
Carbon offsetting
Carbon offsetting allows individuals and businesses to reduce their carbon footprint by investing in projects designed to reduce emissions.
Carbon credits
In carbon markets, a carbon credit represents one tonne of CO2 equivalent, the emission of which has been avoided thanks to a project implemented in a territory. There are two types of carbon credits : ex-ante credits, which correspond to emissions which will be avoided, and ex-post credits, which correspond to savings that have already been made.
GHG emissions (eqCO2)
A "greenhouse" gas (GHG) is a gaseous component that contributes to warming the atmosphere, which in turn warms the earth's surface, creating the greenhouse effect.
When we refer to GHGs or CO2e, we are talking about several gases :
- Carbon dioxide (CO2 = 1eqCO2), which comes mainly from fossil fuel combustion, tropical deforestation and industrial processes;
- Methane (CH4 = 28-30 eqCO2), which has an average global warming potential 28 times higher than one tonne of CO2 over a period of 100 years. Methane in the atmosphere is mainly due to livestock farming, waste management & gas activities.
- Nitrous oxide (N2O = 265 eqCO2), is released mainly due to agricultural inputs (pesticides and fertilisers), the chemical industry and fossil fuel combustion.
Regenerative agriculture
Regenerative agriculture is a holistic approach to food and farming systems. It focuses on dynamically implementing sustainable agricultural practices, enhancing soil health and biodiversity and improving the water cycle, while reducing the use of synthetic inputs and increasing farmers yields.
One of the key benefits of regenerative agriculture is its ability to sequester and capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere.
By implementing strategies such as limited/conservation tillage, cover cropping, crop rotation, and the application of manure and compost, regenerative agriculture promotes the accumulation of organic matter in the soil. This organic matter acts as a carbon sink, efficiently storing CO2 and reducing its concentration in the atmosphere.
Carbon neutrality
Carbon neutrality for an activity, product or organisation is reached when its GHG emissions are equal to zero. For a company to become carbon neutral, it needs to:
1) Undertake a rigorous calculation of emissions;
2) Reduce emissions as much as possible;
3) Purchase carbon credits equivalent to the remaining emissions.
Carbon sequestration
Carbon sequestration in the agricultural sector refers to the ability of agricultural lands to remove CO2 present in the atmosphere. Through photosynthesis, crops remove CO2 from the atmosphere, convert it into soil organic carbon and release oxygen.
Practices
Various practices can be put in place by farmers to increase the capacity of their soils to sequester carbon. These agricultural practices, likely to favour carbon storage, include the following: cover crops, crop rotation, conservation, reduced tillage, no-tillage, increased organic inputs.
Methodology
The methodology is the method used to calculate the GHG savings from a project. It specifies,among other things, the quantities of GHGs that should be emitted in the reference scenario, the calculation of the emission reductions enabled by the activity and the methods for monitoring the project.
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