The Central Coast Climate Collaborative (4C) and the Santa Barbara County Regional Climate Collaborative are co-hosting a five-part webinar series to educate participants about carbon sequestration and carbon offsets. The series runs April 19-May 18.
To achieve carbon neutrality, governments, businesses and communities will need to consider their carbon sequestration and offsets.
Due to the complex and developing nature of the carbon industry, there are a number unknown factors and misunderstandings surrounding carbon removal. The series aims to introduce potential stakeholders to carbon sequestration and offset markets and to facilitate dialogue, foster connections and projects, and address barriers.
“In California and the world, there is a growing appetite for carbon sequestration projects,” said Heather Allen, steering committee chair of the Central Coast Climate Collaborative, and Sustainability Program administrator for Ventura County.
“We have opportunities here in the Central Coast to facilitate investments in our natural and working lands. We hope this series is the beginning of a conversation and the birth of a growing community of practice,” she said.
The webinar series seeks to appeal to an array of participants including local agencies, landowners, growers, project developers, consultants, nonprofits, and financial institutions.
“We recognize that we cannot achieve our carbon goals solely within our boundaries,” said Alelia Parenteau, steering committee chair of the Santa Barbara County Regional Climate Collaborative and the interim Sustainability and Resilience Department director for the city of Santa Barbara.
“Collaborating across our region will help us meet our climate goals and bring rural and urban communities closer together,” Parenteau said.
The event series details follow:
• Tuesday, April 19: Carbon Markets: The Basics will explore the basics and advanced inner workings of carbon offset markets.
• Wednesday, April 27: Carbon Markets: Supply-Side Considerations will look at the world of carbon markets, protocols, and market actors that facilitate the supply side of market transactions.
• Wednesday, May 4: Carbon Markets: Demand-Side Considerations will explore the demand side considerations of the carbon offset market through the perspectives of a local government, a university and a project developer.
• Wednesday, May 11: Beyond Carbon Markets: Holistic and Integrated Projects and Stewardship webinar will address possible sequestering project opportunities and challenges. These projects can have multiple system benefits and may or may not be completed as part of a carbon market system.
• Wednesday, May 18: Bringing it Together is designed as an interactive discussion offering an opportunity for series participants to engage in an open discussion, debrief their key takeaways, and consider existing and future needs and resources to facilitate local carbon sequestration projects and offsets.
The webinar series is free to attend. To learn more about the program, registration, and sponsorships, visit www.centralcoastclimate.org/sequestration. The webinar series was organized by collaborative members which include Santa Barbara County, city of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Air District, city of San Luis Obispo, Ventura County, and Community Environmental Council.
Central Coast Climate Collaborative is an organizing platform that bridges sectors and scales to catalyze and advance equitable climate solutions on the Central Coast. For more, visit www.centralcoastclimate.org.
The Santa Barbara County Regional Climate Collaborative is a growing multi-sector network of organizations working to advance climate mitigation and resiliency efforts in Santa Barbara County. The collaborative advances regional scale climate solutions through coordination and partnership. For more, visit www.countyofsb.org/collaborative.