European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called for a new financial instrument to reward farmers for protecting nature.
She made such a proposal at the DLD (Digital-Life-Design) Nature Conference, an environmental conference that took place on September 12-13 in Munich.
The official is confident that the EU needs new financial instruments to compensate farmers for the additional costs of sustainable development and reward them for taking care of the environment.
According to von der Leyen, this should be an "effective system of rewards and incentives" to provide money to farmers. According to the official, it will be combined with "natural loans" to "create a market for the restoration of our planet."
Companies that profit from untouched nature – she cited the example of clean spring water and gardens that depend on insects for pollinators – must pay local communities to keep them intact.
"We know that with the right standards it can work because we've done it before. Here in Europe, we already have an incredibly efficient carbon market," explained the president of the European Commission.
According to the politician, the system of "natural credits" is inspired by the system of trading in quotas for emissions of carbon dioxide in the EU. She gave the example that last year the price of CO2 emission allowances in the EU for energy and industry ensured a reduction of emissions by 15%. STV also raised €180 billion, which was reinvested in climate projects and innovations. Ursula von der Leyen is sure that "the same should apply to natural credits." These credits concern the protection of such elements of nature as biodiversity, clean air and water.
In von der Leyen's year-long "strategic dialogues" with agricultural stakeholders, their participants concluded that carbon trading for agriculture is not a solution in the short or medium term.
Concluding her speech, von der Leyen said that "we are working intensively with member states to develop the first pilot projects to support this process."
"It's time to reward those who serve our planet," she added.
In April. EcoPolitic told that the European Parliament approved lowering climate targets for farmers to ease the administrative burden on them. A proposal to soften the Green Deal rules for farmers appeared in March amid their protests across Europe for several months.
