Fifteenth International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability

Abstract

The United Nations Convention on Climate Change (United Nations, 1992) and the subsequent Kyoto Protocol (United Nations, 1998) identified emissions trading as one of the mechanisms to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In Queensland, Australia, a legislative framework has been established to provide security to the holders of rights to carbon sequestered in forestry to enable their participation in a carbon trading scheme. To date much of the academic discussion regarding the legal framework has been centred on the potentially negative impacts of an enduring carbon right on an agricultural land holding. Semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis are used to identify the application of carbon sequestration projects to create a sustainable alternative income stream for the rural landholder while improving the sustainability of agricultural operations. Barriers and possible negative implications of carbon sequestration projects are also identified.