Advancing land systems for climate action in 2024: How CATF is leveraging land for global decarbonization
Addressing climate change requires a strategic approach to managing land.
Land is the only sector that is both a carbon sink and a source of greenhouse emissions. It plays a crucial role in decarbonizing global energy systems by enabling carbon removal, bioenergy production, and the siting of clean energy infrastructure, but it can also be a limiting factor in building clean energy. That’s why Clean Air Task Force launched its Land Systems program in 2021 – advancing policies and research that unlock the full suite of land-based climate solutions while ensuring environmental integrity and long-term sustainability.
2024 was a pivotal year for that work with significant progress across carbon markets, bioenergy and carbon removal, and land-smart clean energy siting. These achievements reflect CATF’s strategic approach to shaping policy, driving research, and influencing market structures to support more effective climate and energy strategies. As we look to 2025, we’re building on this momentum to push for stronger governance, higher crediting standards, and smarter infrastructure planning.
Strengthening carbon market integrity
CATF had an outsized impact on improving voluntary carbon market governance in 2024. We submitted detailed public comments to U.S. federal agencies on climate disclosure, carbon market governance, and forest carbon management. These efforts influenced the final Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) guidance on carbon contracts, which mentioned CATF more than 20 times and drew on recommendations from our submitted comments.
On the global stage, CATF has advocated for stronger carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which establishes a framework for countries to trade carbon credits to meet their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). At COP29, negotiators finalized the operationalization of Article 6, and CATF is working to ensure that the operationalization of Article 6.4 creates a transparent, high-integrity global market with rigorous standards for emissions education and removal credits. Strengthening oversight and crediting standards can help restore trust in carbon markets and drive meaningful climate action.
In Europe, CATF played a central role in developing the European Union’s (EU) Carbon Removal and Carbon Farming Certification Framework (CRCF). As a formal member of the CRCF Expert Group, CATF advocated for strict crediting standards and separate accounting for emissions reductions and removals. This work strengthens the foundation for carbon markets in Europe and sets a precedent for how other regions might approach similar frameworks. As the UK weighs how to integrate carbon removals into emissions trading, CATF offered guidance on the integration of ecosystem carbon management into emerging frameworks, stressing the importance of careful implementation and ensuring robust monitoring and verification standards.
Advancing climate-beneficial bioenergy and carbon removal
Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) and biomass carbon removal and storage (BiCRS) are emerging as key pathways for large-scale carbon removal. In 2024, CATF launched a new project in California focused on defining and analyzing BECCS and BiCRS pathways to help the state meet its carbon dioxide removal (CDR) targets. This research is designed to provide policymakers with a clean understanding of the costs, benefits, and trade-offs of different BECCS and BiCRS deployment scenarios.
CATF also actively engaged U.S. policy discussions on sustainable biomass use in 2024. We submitted comments to the U.S. Treasury and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on life-cycle accounting rules for Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) tax credits, advocating for conservative accounting principles to ensure that biomass use delivers net climate benefits. CATF also worked with congressional offices on Farm Bill reauthorization, proposing incentives for climate-smart agricultural practices, improved biomass tracking, and research into sustainable biomass removal rates.
Building on this momentum, we launched an expert assessment of BECCS and BiCRS crediting protocols. With over 20 different protocols currently in use, there is a lack of consistency and oversight that could lead to over-crediting and market confusion. Our assessment, to be completed in 2025, will provide a comparative analysis of these protocols and establish a framework for high-quality biomass-based carbon removal credits. This work aims to prevent the pitfalls we’ve encountered in forest carbon markets and ensure that biomass-based CDR delivers measurable climate benefits.
Expanding land-smart clean energy siting
The transition to clean energy requires vast amounts of land for solar, wind, and other renewable energy projects. CATF has been working to align clean energy deployment with responsible land use, ensuring that infrastructure siting decisions balance climate goals with ecosystem health and community needs.
In 2024, CATF published a high impact analysis on the technical potential for clean energy development on federal lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Our analysis shows that the potential for wind, solar, and geothermal deployment far exceeds current targets, highlighting opportunities to expand clean energy capacity while minimizing environmental impacts. Our research directly shaped BLM’s updated Solar Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS), leading to the adoption of CATF’s recommendation to expand solar siting to include land with existing or planned transmission infrastructure and previously disturbed areas. This policy shift will unlock more land for solar development while minimizing conflicts with conservation priorities.
Looking ahead: Priorities for 2025
In 2025, CATF’s work will focus on scaling these successes and addressing new challenges at the land-energy-climate nexus. Strengthening carbon market integrity will remain a top priority, with a focus on improving forest carbon credits, expanding Article 6.4 mechanisms, and engaging with the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM). The results from CATF’s forthcoming scorecard on forest carbon protocols will serve as a crucial foundation for advocating stronger crediting standards and preventing low-quality offsetting.
In bioenergy and carbon removal, CATF will advance efforts to build markets for BiCRS and ensure that BECCS deployment is guided by rigorous accounting. Through upcoming work in California, as well as the BECCS and BiCRS protocol assessment, we hope to inform policy reforms at the state and local level. CATF will also continue to push for climate-smart agricultural practices at the federal level through the Farm Bill.
On clean energy siting, CATF will use insights from its federal lands research to promote large-scale planning for clean energy infrastructure. This includes working with states and federal agencies to identify priority areas for renewable development and minimize conflicts with environmental and community interests. CATF’s work will help accelerate clean energy deployment while protecting natural resources and supporting local communities.
By strengthening carbon markets, advancing biomass-based carbon removal, and enabling smart infrastructure siting, CATF is driving meaningful progress at the intersection of land, energy, and climate systems.
