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Atlas Carbon

Find answers to common questions about Atlas Carbon

Why do you take a commission instead of a fee

Carbon projects are long-term commitments that require a consistent committed approach. Building soil carbon is not automatic and requires fine tuning of your grazing, grass and soil management. We also know not all soils will be successful in storing carbon. Our commission model demonstrates that we have skin in the game and are co-investing and taking risk alongside our landholder partners. We won’t sign up projects that we don’t think have the potential to simply drive revenue through fees.

Why do you need to come to my farm?

The farm visit is a key part of the Atlas Carbon service offering to ensure that:

Your property has the potential to succeed in a soil carbon project, given its soil chemistry, stage of development and enterprise mix potential
We are aligned as partners on what on farm investment and practice adoption will be required to sufficiently increase soil carbon
We are happy working together as long-term partners

What does a carbon project proponent/provider do?

A carbon project proponent carries specific liabilities for the project, namely that any reversal event where ACCUs must be returned to the regulator, is the responsibility of the proponent. The specific services provided by a carbon project provider will vary, so it is important to check the terms and conditions to know what is covered, and whether or not proponency is offered. The types of services carbon project service providers deliver could include expertise in carbon method, administration requirements, technical expertise in the ecological or technical execution of the project (e.g. soil, trees etc.), mapping expertise, measurement approaches, and monitoring and reporting requirements

What costs are involved in running a soil carbon project?

Costs involved in running a soil carbon project include registration, soil, emissions and activity baselining costs, monitoring and verification expenses, administration and audit costs, and costs associated with implementing and maintaining the soil management practices.

I was told I didn’t have a big enough farm to do a soil carbon project, why is that?

At Atlas Carbon we have developed our support offering to landholders based on a certain property size and ACCU potential to support the fixed and variable costs of undergoing a soil carbon project. Within our support offering are specific farming and soil carbon models which are tailored to minimum property sizes. Our current offering and models therefore constrain the properties we can support. We hope to expand our offering to support smaller properties in the future. There are other developer who support smaller properties through different aggregation business models.

I was rejected by Atlas Carbon after I sent through my information, why?

This could be due to your property size, rainfall, temperature or a combination of the three. If you believe this could be an error, please contact our customer support team.

I was told I didn't have enough annual rainfall to do a soil carbon project, why is that?

Rainfall level is a strong indicator of the soil conditions required to build and maintain soil carbon. Rainfall is required to drive the level of plant growth, soil micro-organisms, and other biological cycling required to build soil carbon. Soil carbon chemistry is also important. If rainfall is low or insufficient, a property may struggle to build the level of soil carbon necessary to cover the costs of undergoing a soil carbon project, such as soil testing and on farm investment.

How do you sell carbon credits?

Carbon credits can be sold through various platforms, including emissions trading schemes and voluntary carbon markets. Companies and organisations may also purchase carbon credits to offset their emissions and meet emissions reduction targets.

How does Atlas Grazing help with my project?

Atlas Grazing helps with the “how” of building soil carbon, while maintaining auditable data to demonstrate eligible activity compliance for improved grazing management. Building soil carbon in grazing systems requires improvement across soil health and pasture growth, both of which can be positvily impacted by improved grazing metrics such as paddock to mob ration, rest and recovery ratio and density. In order to improve on these metrics, it is key to stay on top of your feed demand and supply, and grazing rotations all in line with rainfall. MaiaGrazing is the only tool that provides the in-depth data, analytics and planning tools to provide the insights required for improved grazing management.

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Projects

Find answers to common questions about Soil Carbon Projects

Will my grazing be impacted by a soil carbon project

If you plan to register a grazing property in a soil carbon project, then it is highly likely that your grazing management may benefit from adjustments to improve soil carbon. Often we see potential to mob up, increase rest and recovery with rotations, increasing your paddock to mob ratio, and at times reconsidering your enterprise mix and density. We can help to tailor a plan that makes sense for your property and business ambitions

Why can't I just do a carbon project on my own?

It is possible to do a carbon project on your own, but it isn’t advisable. Supporting a soil carbon project requires a variety of areas of expertise including soil science, remote sensing, mapping, emissions accounting, regulatory requirements, reporting and audit requirements. Atlas Carbon is designs to ensure graziers are accessing the leading expertise, technology and approaches in these areas, packed together so you can focus on the farming. We provide our services in a commission model, so you are taking limited risk in undergoing a soil carbon project and our incentives are aligned for you to be successful.

What happens to my project if there is a drought and I have to destock?

The soil carbon method allows for flexibility in stocking rate decisions so that you can make resilient business decisions. Fully de-stocking during drought may be permissible to protect ground cover and soil health. As a precaution we would work with you to provide an update to the regulator on any catastrophic weather events, and, if required, request an extension of any nearing deadlines for offset reporting. As your carbon project partner we will work with you throughout your project and will work to notify you if we are observing high risk of drought or overstocking for your property via MaiaGrazing.

What happens to my land when a soil carbon project is registered on it?

The land will stayed registered in the carbon project unless your de-register it. So, if you intend to sell the property you will need to negotiate with a purchaser on what they intend to do with the project: maintain it and benefit from the ACCU generation, or cancel it in which case responsibility for any losses will need to be negotiated within the purchase agreement.

What happens if I haven't sequestered carbon at my first 5 year baselining

We work with you to track key indicators of grass growth and soil health to reduce the risk of a non-performance project. If we observe that your eligible activities and other on farm investments are not making an impact in the first two years, we will work with you to identify where the inhibitors to improvement may be and course correct. You should not get to the 5-year mark without strong leading indictors of your soil carbon progress.

What factors contribute to the termination of a carbon project by regulators?

Factors that can contribute to the termination of a carbon project by regulators include failure to meet the project's emissions reductions targets, non-compliance with regulatory requirements, and failure to provide accurate and complete reporting.

What can I expect to earn from a soil carbon project as a grazier?

As a grazier participating in a soil carbon project, your potential earnings can vary considerably based on factors like your property's sequestration rate, carbon credit pricing, project costs, and methodology used. While some graziers may see substantial returns, others may find the financial benefits more modest.To better understand what goes into estimating your income potential of soil carbon farming, we recommend filling out your information to generate our free cost-benefit report based on your specific operation.

What are the risks of a soil carbon project?

Different risks can occur at different stages of a soil carbon project. Registration, baselining, execution and offset reporting are areas of risk. During registration there are risks around registering land in projects that aren’t eligible given previous activites or land title issues, Baselining can present risks regarding poor soil stratification, sample point optimisation and variance issues, as well as issues with soil sample execution. There is ongoing execution risk if a land manager is not willing or able to commit to the grazing management activities required to sequester carbon. A land manager may also not be aware of some of the prohibited activities during their soil carbon project which would put the project at risk (such as irrigation). Landholder also may fail to properly document their project activities which may risk passing audit requirements. At offset reporting time, again their are risks in compliance failures in how the mapping and soil measurement occurs. Short term risks could include adverse weather events, but soil carbon projects should be seen as long term commitments that are able to ride the ebbs and flows of weather.

What are the financial risks should I consider when running a carbon project?

When running a carbon project, there are several financial risks to consider, including changes in policy and regulatory frameworks, fluctuations in the price of carbon credits, and difficulty in accurately predicting and verifying emissions reductions.

How much capital do I need to successfully undertake a soil carbon project?

This depends on your property’s current state of development, your soil composition and existing grazing practices. We can provide a back-of-the envelope range for the types of on farm investment that may be required for your specific property in our Cost Benefit Report and Carbon Project Viability Assessment.

How do you start a soil carbon project?

Initiating a soil carbon project begins with assessing your land's current carbon stock and understanding regenerative practices suitable for your terrain. Enrolment in a carbon credit scheme follows, with verification processes to quantify sequestered carbon.

How effective is soil carbon sequestration?

Long-term, these projects enhance soil fertility, structure, and water retention, reducing erosion risks and supporting biodiversity, thus ensuring sustainable land use and productivity for future generations. Long-term soil carbon sequestration is contingent on maintaining good land management and grazing practices, as well as on having the right soil biology and chemistry to maintain soil carbon.

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Markets

Find answers to common questions about Soil Carbon Markets

What is the emissions reduction fund?

The Emissions Reduction Fund is a regulated scheme developed to reduce Australia's greenhouse gas emissions. Taking part in eligible activities under the scheme can allow individuals and businesses to earn Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs). Soil carbon project participants can earn ACCUs through successful implementation of eligible activities that generate more carbon in their soil. With the implementation of Australia’s Safeguard Mechanism, the creation of a compliance market is created for ACCUs, though many other companies that do not fall under the Safeguard mechanism still purchase ACCUs to offset their emissions on a voluntary basis.

What are carbon credits?

Carbon credits are a form of tradable certificate that represent a specific amount of carbon dioxide emissions reduced or avoided. They are used as a way to reduce emissions in a cost-effective manner, through the creation of a market for emissions reductions. One carbon credit represents one ton of CO2 avoided or removed from the atmosphere.

Is carbon trading financially successful for graziers?

Financial benefits for graziers stem from the sale of carbon credits and improved farm productivity due to healthier soils and rich biodiversity. Enhanced soil health can lead to reduced input costs and increased land value. Individual graziers need to run the numbers for their property to understand what it will cost for them to be successful in a carbon project, and how much they might make from carbon credits to understand the true ROI of a project. Atlas Carbon provides two levels of this assessment through our Cost Benefit Report and Soil Carbon Viability Assessment which provides a tailored breakdown of estimate on-farm investments, practice change and soil carbon potential for your property. We recommend you work with your own advisors to make any financial decisions for your business.

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