Economics of «climate projects in forests» as a component of low-carbon development: analysis of the phenomenon

The article is devoted to the results of the analysis of theoretical views on the economic basis for the implementation of climate projects in forests, taking into account the trends of low-carbon development. In the course of the work, based on the architectural approach to the description of systems, some aspects of the implementation of climate projects in forests were considered, including issues of terminology, prerequisites for their implementation, as well as the economics of such projects. The principles of implementation of climate projects in forests, summarized on the basis of both international and national documents, were presented. The classification features of the projects under consideration are described, including the direction of their implementation, scope of implementation, types of forestry activities. On the basis of the institutional approach, range of works for climate projects in forests are identified, differentiated by types of such projects. Options for determining the baseline are considered, as well as the external effects of project activities. As a result, the conceptual foundations for the implementation of climate projects in forests were determined. In addition, the article presents an assessment of the main indicators of voluntary carbon unit markets. The study concluded, in particular, that carbon units obtained during the implementation of climate projects in forests have a higher price on voluntary markets compared to other types of climate projects. In addition, it was found that the role of climate projects in forests is not only to provide additional absorption of greenhouse gases, but also to provide additional income to the performers of such projects, as well as to reduce the carbon footprint of greenhouse gas emitters.