Around the world, climate governance bodies are looking for ways to capture greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere and store them where they can't escape and warm the planet.

This is known as carbon capture and storage. Its Necessary to meet global goals Net zero: eliminating all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Forests and grasslands store carbon by absorbing carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from the air and storing them underground. Reforestation, management of open pasture lands (Amphitheater) In sustainable ways, agroforestry (planting trees on crop fields) and restoring wetlands also absorb carbon and store it in the soil.

these are all nature based Carbon capture and storage approaches.

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We are a team of environmental scientists and agricultural experts who investigated 10 community-based, nature-based carbon capture and storage projects in the rural Eastern Cape province of South Africa for a new book. Green financing in emerging economies. our research assessed Were these projects preventing climate change and benefiting rural communities.

we found The rural carbon capture and storage projects we studied not only helped mitigate global warming. They also created sustainable jobs and restored ecosystems. Our research also found that communities are more willing to participate in carbon capture and storage projects when they see immediate livelihood benefits.

Natural potential of the Eastern Cape

Eastern Cape province of South Africa second largest In the country; It is the size of Uruguay or Tunisia. Its rangelands, forests, coastal wetlands, beaches and montane ecosystems, spanning 169,000 km², provide significant potential for carbon capture.

The Eastern Cape has diverse climates: humid coastal zones, subtropical zones, and arid and semi-arid zones.

Read more: 'Sacred forests' in West Africa store carbon and keep soils healthy

This is not vacant land – it is used by rural communities, many of whom are farmers. They are therefore custodians of assets that can be used for effective carbon capture projects.

Communities can earn money and other benefits when they restore land or improve soils in ways that absorb carbon. Companies or other buyers pay for each unit of carbon that is captured or avoided. Project developers and intermediaries share to cover costs and services. Participating communities receive payments, jobs, and other benefits in exchange for work and management of the land.

Read more: Angola's peatlands lock carbon and clean the region's waters – how we mapped this newfound landscape

South Africa is one of the most unequal societies in the world. This inequality translates into widespread poverty, unemployment, and limited economic opportunities in rural areas. Community-based carbon projects offer a way to link climate action with urgently needed local development and job creation.

The province hosts a diverse portfolio of nature-based carbon capture and storage projects. Some restore natural scrub and forests that were destroyed over years due to commercial farming or grazing. These include Amathole Forest Carbon Project, Kuzuko Thicket Restoration Project, Somerset East-Eastern Cape Restoration ProjectAnd Stutterheim Reforestation Project.

we also assessed meat naturallywhich provides incentives to farmers on restoring communal rangelands (pasture lands), and agricarbonWhich rewards farmers who practice climate-friendly farming, such as releasing carbon from the soil by not tilling it. All these projects are of different sizes. Some are small local restoration sites that include farms and communities while others are larger programs that span two or more local municipalities and the province.

Benefits for people and nature

Our research found Rural carbon capture and storage projects can be much more than narrow climate interventions. They can also create broader, real-world benefits for people and ecosystems.

The projects we reviewed benefited local communities in a number of ways. The most frequently mentioned benefit was job creation. Projects to restore spekboom (an indigenous plant) in the Eastern Cape aim to create approximately 1,000 jobs and more broadly carbon projects are estimated to generate approximately 27,600 direct jobs in land restoration, monitoring, agriculture and ecological management. In some projects, these jobs lasted for several years.

They provided an important source of income where other options were scarce. (According to recent estimates the Eastern Cape's unemployment rate is approximately 42.5%.)

Read more: Reviving South Africa's grasslands: Eastern Cape villagers tell of the challenges they face

The projects reviewed demonstrated a range of benefits beyond jobs and income. land restoration Soil fertility improved, which then became able to hold more water. The areas attracted more birds and plant life, and became more diverse. As land quality improved, communities were also able to grow more crops.

Barriers and structural challenges

Despite many interconnected benefits, we also found these significant structural challenges:

  • Most rural land in the Eastern Cape is communal, organized by state In trust on behalf of communities, and governed by traditional authorities and local municipalities. Communities are insecure about their long-term rights to use or benefit from the land. This makes it difficult for them to enter into the long-term contracts required for carbon projects and markets.

Read more: Southern Africa's rangelands serve many functions, from cattle feeding to carbon storage: a review of 60 years of research.

  • Communities and local government do not yet fully understand carbon markets. This prevents them from exploiting carbon capture opportunities or managing projects effectively.
  • The high cost of bringing people and materials to remote rural areas to work on projects makes them less profitable. Other costs, such as insurance, legal advice, and monitoring and verification, also impact profits.

Read more: Not all carbon-capture projects are beneficial for the climate – we mapped the advantages and disadvantages of each and found clear winners and losers.

  • Poor roads, electricity and digital connectivity negatively impact project implementation. This infrastructure is needed for effective project management and collecting data on the amount of carbon captured and stored.
  • Private companies may find carbon capture and storage projects in rural areas too risky or less profitable. Without encouragement, they are often reluctant to engage.