Satellites Drive EU Soil Carbon Market Shift

Europe’s soil carbon market is entering a new phase following the adoption of the Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming Regulation (CRCF), the bloc’s first comprehensive framework for certifying carbon removals.

Under Regulation (EU) 2024/3012, monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) systems are expected to play a central role in ensuring that carbon farming projects meet common standards. Satellite-based monitoring is emerging as a key tool in that effort, offering a way to track agricultural practices across large areas with greater speed and consistency.

Traditionally, soil carbon projects have relied on field visits and manual sampling, processes that can be costly and time consuming. Satellite imagery now allows developers to observe practices such as cover cropping and reduced tillage across thousands of farms. Companies including Denmark-based Agreena use earth observation data to monitor land management changes and support carbon credit issuance.

Proponents say satellite-enabled MRV could lower verification costs and enable projects to scale, depending on the methodology applied and the integration of on-the-ground data. Faster data processing may also shorten the time required to issue credits, a factor as demand grows for carbon removals aligned with EU standards.