By Nakeyah Giroux-Works, Laval University

Reforestation is one of the panaceas in the fight against climate change, particularly in greenhouse gas (GHG) offsetting efforts for emissions released into the atmosphere. Through photosynthesis, trees take up CO₂ atmospheric, absorb carbon and release oxygen into the air. In Quebec, it is possible to participate in reforestation projects devoted to climate action through carbon offset programs. They allow companies, organizations and individuals to inventory the quantities of GHG[1] related to their lifestyle and to find out the number of trees to plant to offset these emissions, for a fee.

To date I have identified nearly 15 Quebec organizations that run carbon offset projects through reforestation and forest conservation. Some initiatives reforest in tropical areas to address the issue of deforestation, while others concentrate their activities in regions of Quebec to locally "capture" the benefits of reforestation. Some combine these two approaches, offering their clients a wider range of forest projects to fund. My doctoral study focuses on projects whose tree planting takes place in Quebec. Examining them allows me to question the socio-environmental relationships that exist between the valorization ofcarbon offset commodities and that of their production space, in a context of geographic proximity of these two components. I share here the preliminary analyses of the data collected during my fieldwork, which has been ongoing since spring 2019, drawing your attention to the regimes of value (Appadurai 1986) surrounding the practice of climate reforestation in Quebec, that is, the elements contributing to the social construction of its desirability.

The organizations at the helm of climate reforestation projects are of varied nature. They include, notably, a university institution, a limited partnership, a forestry and solidarity cooperative, and a non-profit and charitable organization. They are not regulated by the Quebec government’s Cap-and-Trade System for greenhouse gas emission allowances (SPEDE), essentially because they target smaller polluters and rely on voluntary action on their part. Each initiative sets its price per tonne of eq. CO₂ relative to that of the SPEDE market — $15.31 for 2019 — and to the added value of its projects. An initiative can, for example, distinguish itself by using its reforestation projects to advance academic research on the role of forests in the fight against climate change.

The carbon credit and the tree to be planted are the two commodities traded on Quebec’s voluntary forest carbon markets. A carbon credit corresponds to a tonne of eq. CO₂ whose sequestration is ensured by reforestation activities, forest conservation, or lengthening of harvest cycles. Sold in bundles, they become green capital offered for investment in over-the-counter or organized markets (example: Chicago Climate Exchange). The initiatives that have embarked on this path deal with brokers and international accreditation agencies that validate the quality and authenticity of carbon credits. For most of the initiatives encountered, it is rather a tree to be planted that is the product to sell, at a cost ranging between $3 and $8. The carbon sequestration will occur in the future thanks to the preservation of the planted trees, before they become carbon sources. All initiatives work with independent third parties specialized in quantification and environmental assessment, which submit to recognized standards and protocols.

What makes the modus operandi of climate reforestation programs attractive is their way of associating behaviors deemed problematic — especially those related to modes of transportation — with GHG emissions, and of evaluating them monetarily and symbolically (Lippert 2017). The quantification of daily activities by the carbon metric and the materiality of the tree construct observable and personalized “truths” about actions to take or avoid. Several initiatives have developed web platforms that simplify equivalence calculations and facilitate the purchase of carbon offsets. Issuing a certificate confirming the financing of a forestry project is also a technique frequently used to communicate the environmental responsibilities of actors who offset. Their actions are defined there by information related to tonnes of eq. CO₂ sequestered, the number of trees to be planted purchased, and their location.

The initiatives encountered share a desire to act locally on the environment and for communities. Reforested areas in Quebec are located all over the territory: from the dry barren lands of the boreal zone to the fallow fields of farmers in the Estrie region, and even schoolyards in Bas-Saint-Laurent. Most projects are implemented in degraded environmental spaces and are part of a forest protection approach, guaranteeing that the trees will be protected from any human interventions for a period of 50, 60, or even 70 years. Reforesting fallow lands, for example, helps farmers diversify their sources of income. Trees will be cut once they reach maturity and will help extend the carbon lifecycle in wood products (Cecobois n.d.). Reforestation activities can also become large gatherings of volunteer citizens. These events are opportunities for socialization, as well as occasions to raise awareness about the socio-ecological usefulness of trees in living spaces. From a financial perspective, “it’s a marketing asset to create Quebec-based capital intended for responsible environmental action here,” notes the initiator of a carbon credit forestry project.

In short, the practice of reforestation proves to be an effective communication tool for the “ecological cost” of the accumulation of GHG emissions in the atmosphere. The fact that the offset is attached to specific spaces and contexts of existence contributes to the construction of the social validity of this environmental action. Many other components remain to be analyzed in connection with regimes of value (land tenure contexts, the discourses of the owners of wooded lands, etc.). This text was primarily intended to lay the premises of an analysis in progress.

Sources

Appadurai A., 1986, “Commodities and the Politics of Value”: 3–63, in A. Appadurai (ed.), The Social Life of Things: commodities in cultural perspective. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

Cecobois, n.d., Wood and the carbon life cycle, Accessed online (https://cecobois.com/bois-et-cycle-de-vie-du-carbone), in September 2019.

Lippert I., 2017, "Corporate carbon footprinting as techno-political practice": 37–59, in S. Paladino and S. J. Fiske (eds.), The Carbon Fix: Forest Carbon, Social Justice, and Environmental Governance. Walnut Creek, Left Coast Press.

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[1] These quantities are measured in tonnes of CO₂ (eq. CO₂).