LIFE CO2RK in the COP29

The President of the Andalusian Regional Government, Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, presented the LIFE CO2RK project at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29), held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 11 to 22, 2024.

CO2RK was one of two examples of the emissions offset policy that Andalusia aims to develop to lead Spain in climate change mitigation.

In addition to outlining reforestation policies for the next 30 years, with ambitious goals such as reforesting 2,500 hectares with 1,500,000 trees and a goal of absorbing 300,000 tons of CO₂, President Moreno Bonilla made a significant commitment to public-private partnerships.

The Andalusian Regional Government is committed to encouraging companies to offset their emissions and providing them with mechanisms to do so through offset projects that will be recognized by the Andalusian Emissions Offsetting System (SACE).

These compensation projects will also be open to local governments that are both GHG emitters and forests’ owners.

The President of the Andalusian Regional Government cited LIFE CO2RK as an example, indicating that it will play a decisive role in developing the necessary compensation mechanisms and attracting private investment to benefit the cork oak forest.

The Andalusian Regional Government expects LIFE CO2RK to make thousands of hectares of private forests available to companies, as well as tools to certify offsets, register them in an Official Registry, and attract investments that offset the carbon emissions sequestered from the atmosphere by sustainable forest management in the most productive cork oak forests.

A public-private partnership that will serve as the foundation for Andalusia’s environmental and climate change policies.