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Introduction to Carbon Footprint in Coffee Production

  • Personal Experience: The speaker recounts a trip to Guatemala with TJ, highlighting her skills in Spanish and accounting, and her involvement in significant ecological work linked to her honors thesis.

Coffee Production and Environmental Impact

  • Carbon Footprint of Coffee: Each cup of coffee has a carbon footprint due to energy used in shipping, roasting, and day-to-day operations of roasting companies.
  • Sustainability in Coffee Roasting: There is an ongoing effort to make coffee roasting and production more sustainable.

Types of Coffee Cultivation

  • Sun Coffee vs. Shade Coffee: There are two primary methods of growing coffee:
      - Sun Coffee: Grown in full sunlight on plantations.
      - Shade Coffee: Grown under a canopy of shade trees, offering benefits:
        - Higher quality coffee
        - Increased biodiversity
        - Carbon dioxide absorption from the atmosphere

Research Question

  • Key Question: Can small-scale coffee roasters achieve net zero targets using carbon offsets from shade trees grown by coffee farmers in Guatemala?

Understanding the Net Zero Target

  • Definition:
      - The concept of net zero targets originated from the Paris Climate Agreement, aiming to limit global temperature rise to no more than 1.5°C.
      - To achieve a net zero target, the carbon emissions produced must be balanced by an equal amount of carbon being removed from the atmosphere.

  • Common Phrases: Companies often declare goals such as "net zero by 2030" or "carbon neutral by 2050" to signify their commitment to reducing emissions.

Carbon Credits Explained

  • Carbon Credits:
      - A unit representing the removal of one ton of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
  • Types of Carbon Markets:
      - Compliance Market: Corporations are mandated by government regulations to limit emissions and can buy carbon credits to offset them. If they exceed their emission limits, they can purchase offsets to balance the excess.
      - Voluntary Market: Participation is not mandatory; companies voluntarily engage in carbon offsets for reputation or ethical purposes. Projects could include:
        - Tree planting
        - Deforestation prevention
        - Renewable energy initiatives

Field Research in Guatemala

  • 2023 Trip Details: The speaker visited Guatemala with Dr. Rutig and another environmental science student to measure carbon levels in shade trees across eight coffee plots.
  • Methodology:
      - Coffee plots measured were approximately 25 by 25 meters.
      - Counted the number of coffee trees and shade trees in these plots.
      - Diameter Measurement: The diameter of shade trees was recorded and analyzed using allometric equations to determine biomass and, subsequently, carbon levels.
      - Findings:
        - Average carbon content:
          - Coffee trees: 380 kg of carbon.
          - Shade trees: almost 12,000 kg of carbon.
        - Potential for carbon credits generation from shade trees.

Greenhouse Gas Calculators

  • Development of Calculator: A greenhouse gas calculator was created for coffee roasters to input data related to:
      - Energy usage
      - Travel expenses
      - Water usage
  • Salesforce Net Zero Cloud: The software will help roasters visualize their emissions data:
      - Output includes types of emissions, total carbon emissions, and forecasts of future emissions under current operational levels.
  • Current Data: Sample data was used for this analysis since actual roaster data had not been obtained.

Next Steps in the Project

Selling Carbon Offsets

  • Feasibility Assessment: Determine landowner eligibility and ensure the legality of projects.

  • Baseline Determination: Establish what existed before—this could be existing trees or a baseline of zero for newly planted trees.

  • Demonstrating Carbon Increase: Required to show yearly tree growth through continuous measurements.

  • Tree Management: Ensure that trees remain unharmed to maintain ethical standards; selling credits without securing the trees would be unethical.

  • Third-party Verification: Essential for maintaining integrity and trust in carbon credit projects.
      - Each carbon credit generated must be retired after use to avoid double counting.

Future Data Collection

  • Continuously collect growth data over the years.
      - An app developed by Dr. Rutik's son will help farmers input tree measurements easily.
  • Verification and Marketing: The next steps involve verifying the project and calculating greenhouse gas emissions from roasters, focusing on marketing and selling the offsets.

Collaborations and Broader Impact

  • Collaboration with North Central Coffee Lab: Engage with coffee importers to sell carbon offsets, thereby impacting emissions from coffee shipping.
  • Consumer Engagement: Consumers could pay extra to offset the emissions linked to their purchases, enhancing sustainability in coffee consumption.

Challenges Facing Carbon Market Projects

  • Political and Regulatory Changes: Evolving regulations in the US and EU present challenges.
  • Reputation Issues: Past experiences, like Shell using phantom credits, have tarnished the reputation of carbon credits.

Benefits of Carbon Credit Integration

  • Corporate Valuation: Modern companies are increasingly evaluated based on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) metrics.
  • Consumer Willingness to Pay: Evidence suggests consumers are willing to pay higher prices for carbon-neutral coffee, offering farmers additional income from their trees aside from coffee production.
  • Achievement of Climate Targets: Helps roasters fulfill their climate targets while providing consumers with more sustainable products.