Carbon markets, particularly the voluntary ones, have been the focus of increasing public attention, with the launch of the Portuguese market, the announcement of a European market, and the consolidation of the Spanish market alongside private initiatives on a global scale. At a moment when the rapid flow of information raises questions about these mechanisms, which continue to fall short of the development desired in Europe, Lisbon hosts a debate dedicated to their role in the Iberian forest.
In this context, the Instituto Superior de Agronomia, ADENE – Energy Agency, the Climate Agency and Mota-Engil ATIV joined forces to promote the event “The Iberian Forest and the Voluntary Carbon Markets,” which will take place on June 30, starting at 2:00 p.m., in the Noble Hall of the Instituto Superior de Agronomia, in Lisbon. An initiative included in EU Green Week 2026, which also has the support of the United Nations Global Compact, was announced in a press release.
According to the same source, the meeting will bring together specialists, policymakers, academia and companies to discuss how the Voluntary Carbon Markets (national, European and private) operate in the Iberian forest and their role as an instrument for nature investment and climate action.
This conference will give the sector’s main players (local authorities, landowners and forest managers, scientific researchers, institutions committed to climate action and natural regeneration, and investors) a clearer view of what the Voluntary Carbon Markets are and how they function at national, European and international levels, debating in a transparent and credible manner all their contours, promoting an informed understanding of the main challenges and limitations.
The forest’s strategic role will also be at the heart of the debate, particularly in the context of climate action, as an environmental and economic asset. There is an urgent need to take a deeper look at how the Voluntary Carbon Markets can contribute to the valorization of the forest, aligning scientific knowledge, sustainable forest management, public policies and economic opportunities.
