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Kita, a leader in carbon insurance, has unveiled an innovative product designed to mitigate risks associated with soil organic carbon (SOC) investments. This new offering expands their flagship non-delivery insurance to encompass a growing array of nature-based carbon removal initiatives, addressing a critical barrier that has long impeded capital flow into regenerative agriculture and grassland projects.

The insurance is tailored for developers, investors, and buyers of SOC credits, providing them with protection against the persistent risk of under-delivery. This risk has historically stifled investment in SOC initiatives, which are crucial not only for carbon sequestration but also for their ancillary benefits, including enhanced water retention, improved soil health, and bolstered food security. By reducing these risks, Kita aims to unlock new financing pathways, encouraging early-stage investment in projects that sequester carbon in soils.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has highlighted the potential of improved land management practices to sequester up to 2.6 billion tons of CO2 per year globally through SOC enhancements—an amount exceeding India’s annual emissions. Given that SOC represents the largest terrestrial carbon pool, even minor increases in soil carbon can yield substantial climate benefits.

Despite the promising outlook of SOC initiatives, challenges related to measurement uncertainty, climate variability, and operational hurdles have historically undermined investor confidence. Kita’s non-delivery insurance seeks to address these challenges by covering specific, defined risks that could impede projects from delivering their expected carbon credits.

Tom Merriman, Chief Underwriting Officer and co-founder of Kita, emphasizes the importance of nature-based solutions like SOC in achieving net-zero emissions, asserting that a robust financial infrastructure is essential for scaling these initiatives. By customizing underwriting models to the unique dynamics of soil carbon projects, Kita’s insurance is expected to foster trust in high-integrity SOC credits within the voluntary carbon market.

This strategic move by Kita reflects a broader commitment to developing financial tools that can facilitate investment in scalable carbon removal pathways. With the right safeguards in place, SOC projects have the potential to play a pivotal role in meeting the targets set by the Paris Agreement, offering a cost-effective and nature-positive solution to the pressing challenge of climate change.