2023-24 Learning Exchange Series: Recent efforts to quantify potential leakage in forest carbon offset markets

In this webinar, Greg Latta, Brent Sohngen, and Adam Daigneault present "Recent efforts to quantify potential leakage in forest carbon offset markets".

Webinar flyer for the February Learning Exchange Series session with speakers Greg Latta, Brent Sohngen, and Adam Daigneault presenting,

Title

Recent efforts to quantify potential leakage in forest carbon offset markets

Speakers

Greg Latta, Associate Professor of Forest Economics and Director of the Policy Analysis Group at the University of Idaho

  • Latta is a Research Associate Professor of Forest Economics and Director of the Policy Analysis Group at the University of Idaho. Dr. Latta's research focuses on the application of economic optimization models for policy analysis, with extensive experience in the forestry, land use, bioenergy, and climate policy domains. He holds a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of California at Santa Barbara, a master's degree in forest resources from Oregon State University and a Ph.D. in forest and resource economics from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. He is coauthor on multiple forest carbon offset methodologies and one of the founders of the Forest Carbon Quantification Consortium of researchers focused on scientific analyses designed to inform offset methodologies being developed and applied across registries.

Brent Sohngen, Professor, Ohio State University

  • Brent Sohngen is CFAES Distinguished Professor of Environmental and Natural Resource Economics at Ohio State University. He teaches courses on energy economics and sustainability, and conducts research into the economics of energy and climate change, carbon markets, and global timber supply.

Adam Daigneault, Associate Professor, UMaine School of Forest Resources

  • Dr. Adam Daigneault joined the SFR faculty in 2016 and is currently the EL Giddings Associate Professor of Forest Policy & Economics and head of the UMaine Forest Policy and Economics Lab. He received a PhD in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics from Ohio State University in 2006, and has spent the past decade developing quantitative models to assess the socioeconomic impacts of environmental policy on the natural resource sectors. His research has focused on a wide range of issues, including freshwater management, climate change mitigation and adaptation, invasive species control, and valuing ecosystem services.

Description

Despite considerable debate regarding the degree to which market leakage has undermined the mitigation benefits associated with US forest carbon offsets, little has been done to evaluate what an appropriate value might be. This webinar explores results from two recent studies designed to meet that need. The first studies utilize a global model of timber markets to explore leakage across different levels of forest harvest deferral for a range of forest types and geographies. The second study focuses on the U.S. forest sector evaluating leakage differences in avoided emissions and removals within a voluntary offset market context. These studies provide a needed new look at levels of leakage and how methodology design might mitigate its effects.

Supplementary Materials

Resources:

Daigneault, A., Sohngen, B., Belair, E., Ellis, P. (2023). “A Global Assessment of Regional Forest Carbon Leakage.” Preprint available on Research Square.

https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-3596881/v1

Preprint includes links to detailed results and model.

Recording

 

Learning Exchange Series 

Did you find this article useful?