AIM Carbon and Global Climate and Ecology Institute develop new climate project methodology

The Global Climate and Ecology Institute named after Academician Y. A. Izrael and experts from AIM Carbon have jointly developed a methodology for climate projects aimed at increasing carbon stocks in permafrost regions through sustainable livestock grazing. This is the first methodology in the world to integrate such practices within tundra and forest-tundra ecosystems.

The development of the methodology, titled "Increasing Carbon Stocks in Grassland Ecosystems in Permafrost Regions through Sustainable Livestock Grazing", began in 2024. As mandated by legal procedures, it must undergo several stages, including public discussions and publication in the carbon unit registry. According to AIM Carbon CEO Igor Akhmerov, the adoption of this new methodology will have a wide-ranging positive impact.

“We hope that the adoption of this methodology will facilitate the implementation of climate projects in the Arctic, contribute to combating global warming, and provide additional economic benefits for local indigenous populations,” emphasized Akhmerov.

The methodology is based on a proven hypothesis that sustainable livestock grazing increases carbon stocks in grassland ecosystems in permafrost regions. This hypothesis was confirmed by AIM Carbon through field measurements conducted during a controlled livestock grazing experiment (focused on horses). The project was supported by the Andrey Melnichenko Charitable Foundation and scientists from the A. M. Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Environmental Design and Survey.

Currently, the methodology has been published by the Russian Carbon Unit Registry Operator AO "Contour" for public discussion.