July 11, 2022 – BCarbon, a Houston-based carbon credit registry, has issued its first international soil carbon credits in the United Kingdom.  These credits are the first in a major initiative to reverse climate change by using farmland to pull harmful carbon from the atmosphere.

Future Food Solutions has created the Futures Carbon Bank to sell credits on the voluntary carbon market. Working with the British Consulate in Houston, Future Foods also partnered with BCarbon, an independent verification body,  which was formed by a stakeholder group out of the Baker Institute at Rice University.

Under the carbon bank program, farmers are encouraged to grow cover crops that pull carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the soil while employing no-till practices. Increasingly popular in the UK, cover crops are planted between the regular food crop rotation so they don’t impact the amount of food UK farmers produce.

Unlike many carbon-credit programs, the credits awarded by BCarbon are for soil carbon management practices that actually remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in the soil as organic carbon.  In this way, farmers can combat climate change while continuing to feed the world.

Carbon credit trading is expected to hit $50 billion by 2030, and the Future Food Solutions approach could unlock millions of tons of sequestered carbon credits by utilizing farmland around the world. Multinational information and analytics giant RELX bought the first tons of verified carbon credits, which were generated by a single farm on the Yorkshire Wolds in northeast England.

“This partnership with Future Food Solutions has been particularly exciting for BCarbon,” said Jim Blackburn, CEO of BCarbon. “We are today announcing our first international carbon credits in what we intend to be the first steps toward removing significant amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which is, after all, the goal here.”

How This Partnership Occurred

The Science and Innovation Team at the British Consulate facilitated the relationship between Future Foods and BCarbon following a carbon credit stakeholder group at the Baker Institute at Rice University. The stakeholder group spawned the creation of BCarbon in 2021.

With the assistance of Richard Hyde, Her Majesty’s Consul General in Houston, Future Foods and BCarbon began a collaboration that led to the issuance of these carbon storage credits.

“Addressing the challenges of climate change requires an international approach,” said Consul General Hyde. “The Consulate in Houston has been proud to catalyse this collaboration between BCarbon and Future Food Solutions which models the innovative approach necessary to tackle our shared challenges.”

Steve Cann, a partner with Future Foods agreed, stating “Working with the team at BCarbon is a real trans-Atlantic technical partnership, resulting in farmers receiving credit for their positive actions in removing CO2 from the atmosphere and ultimately being part of the solution to climate change.”

How does it work?

Under the BCarbon program, Future Food Solutions conducts soil analysis before the cover crop is sown and then uses a series of rigorous tests to determine exactly how many tons of carbon have been removed from the atmosphere. Much of this field data has been acquired in conjunction with Yorkshire Water and Proagrica, who have partnered with Future Food Solutions on catchment scale farmer engagement programs in the UK.

Although sequestration will vary because of weather, cover crop and soil type, on average in the Yorkshire region, a hectare of cover crop and no-till farming will deliver 2-3 tons of carbon to trade. Upon measurement under the BCarbon system, project developers such as Future Foods and their farmers then receive money through the sale of their carbon credits.

Who buys the carbon?

The stored carbon is sold to major organizations looking to offset their carbon footprint. More than a third of the world’s largest publicly traded companies have already made net zero pledges and demand for quality carbon removal credits is increasing.

Steve Cann from Future Food Solutions says: “This is a step change in carbon removal providing a real opportunity for major organizations to reduce their carbon footprint. This approach also offers global reach as soil stock in all farming environments around the world could provide significant capacity to become a huge carbon sink.

“Farming has traditionally received bad press on carbon emissions, but this could change that. It means farmers in the UK and beyond can provide a solution to one of the biggest climate change issues, highlighted at COP26 in Glasgow.

“Plus, if we do it right, food gets better. Water and flood management improve because the cover crops transform below-ground soil structure, which in turn helps to reduce leaching and water run-off. Because CO2 is actually being sequestered back into the soil from the atmosphere, the planet starts to heal as well”.

“Everyone can contribute by eating smarter and actively choosing to buy food products sourced from land where this remedial process is being undertaken by farmers.”

First credits from Yorkshire

The first verified carbon credits have come from Tom Mellor’s farm high above Bridlington, in the North Yorkshire Wolds. Mellor says: “Farming is about achieving a balance, similar to the challenge the planet is facing, with regard to climate change. If we take out more than we put back in, future generations will pay the price.”

Tom also commented “Knowing now that farming can be the solution, not the problem, is encouraging us to rethink both our practices and mindset.”

The Sustainable Futures Carbon Bank aims initially to bring 10,000 carbon credits to the voluntary market in the coming months from other farms involved in the plan across the UK and EU but has big ambitions to tap into agricultural land across the world, freeing up millions of carbon credits to be traded with global brands.

BCarbon is a 501(c)(3) non-profit carbon credit registry formed from a stakeholder group at the Baker Institute at Rice University that is engaged in issuing carbon credits associated with soil sequestration, forest sequestration and coastal blue carbon protection and storage. https://bcarbon.org/.

Thank you, President. And, can I start by thanking the Special Envoy and the Assistant-Secretary-General from OCHA, for their briefings – and, to the UN, in general, for their continued efforts on securing long term and lasting peace in Yemen.

We welcome the positive impact on the lives of Yemeni people of the continued reduction of violence, resulting from the truce, and the progress on the confidence building measures.

Special Envoy, we welcome the multitrack process that you have outlined, and Ms Msuya’s proposals for economic recovery. The truce and confidence building measures are important first steps, but, as we’ve discussed before, securing sustainable peace will require ambition and progress on a wide range of issues, including on the economic and military tracks, as well as the unblocking of roads across Yemen.

We also welcome the news that the Military Coordination Committee intends to establish monthly meetings to address the key events of concern.

I’d like to highlight three concerns, in particular:

The first is that the UK remains concerned about the humanitarian, and wider social and economic impact, of the continued road closures around Taiz. Special Envoy, we echo your calls for all sides to coordinate to reach agreement as soon as possible to open the main roads, and reap the benefits of that.

Second, on de-mining, we welcome the reduction in reported civilian casualties since the truce began. But, as you said, Special Envoy, landmines and unexploded ordnance are claiming increasing numbers of civilian lives, including those of children.

Increasing humanitarian access would enable UNMHA to protect some of the most vulnerable Yemenis, so we continue to call on all parties to support de-mining efforts across Yemen.

Third, food insecurity. The global growth in commodity prices, which you both referred to, means increased food insecurity, hunger, famine in Yemen. And food prices have hit record highs. So, we echo Ms Msuya’s call to all donors to ensure that funding is made immediately available for disbursement, at pace, to reduce the suffering.

Finally, the UK also remains concerned about the threat posed by the SAFER oil tanker and the shortfall in funding for the UN’s emergency operation. Inaction will come at a high price.

The UK has pledged $5 million towards the UN plan, and we urge others to commit funding to bridge the remaining $20 million gap so the emergency operation can begin to address the risk of profound humanitarian and environmental damage.

In conclusion, President, we urge parties to continue to show the courageous leadership to build on positive momentum to ensure progress, and to prioritise the peace and stability of Yemen. As the Special Envoy said, this is the best opportunity for peace in years.

I thank you.

The Institution of Civil Engineers has shortlisted the A38 Mowhay footbridge scheme Plymouth for the Sub £8 million category, while the 18-month refurbishment of the two M5 Junction 11 bridges has been nominated in the over £11 million category in its 2022 South West Civil Engineering Awards, as well as both being up for the People’s Choice award,

Earlier this year National Highways and contractors South West Highways Ltd completed the £2.89 million project to upgrade the Mowhay footbridge, effectively joining up with a local cycle route around the city and also making it easier for wheelchair users and people with pushchairs to cross the A38.

The original bridge was not wide enough to safely accommodate both cyclists and walkers, and work started in June last year to modify both the bridge and ramps to enable it to link up with a recently completed footway/cycleway.

As well as the wider deck, the upgrade includes a more manageable gradient, new ramps, steps, fencing and guard rails, new lighting and a new surface water drainage system. By improving the connection between Honicknowle, Weston Mill and St Budeaux further recreational opportunities will be unlocked in Plymouth and commuters can now actively choose an alternative sustainable method of transport.

The refurbishment scheme of the M5 bridges supporting the junction 11 Golden Valley Gyratory was a major undertaking for National Highways and MJ Church and involved complex repairs and deep excavations to the two main supporting bridges between Gloucester and Cheltenham.

The work included the removal and reconstruction of a number of walls, concrete repairs to the bridge decks, replacement of bridge bearings, removal and reconstruction of parapet beams and safety fencing, and waterproofing and entire resurfacing of the gyratory carriageway and footpath.

And during the 18-month programme of work the gyratory was fully closed for safety reasons, although drivers were still able to join and leave the M5 via the slip roads.

Mark Fox, National Highways’ Interim Regional Director, said:

We’re very proud of our work here in the South West and it’s pleasing to be recognised by the Institute by being shortlisted in this year’s awards.

The A38 Mowhay bridge widening scheme will enhance the lives of communities using this bridge over the A38. We’re committed to improving safety across our road network, and the new and improved bridge will make it much easier and safer for a variety of users, including cyclists, travelling to and from the centre of Plymouth.

The M5 Junction 11 bridges scheme was a truly complex operation and despite Covid restrictions earlier in the project, and some challenging weather conditions over the last 18 months, the scheme has been managed fantastically start to finish by both ourselves and our supply chain who ensured we have finished on schedule.

The awards will take place in Bristol on 15 September and voting for the People’s Choice award closes on 29 July. Find out more information on the awards.

For information on all National Highways’ works in the South West people can visit our website.

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