Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) Protocols Used in Carbon Trading Applied to Dryland Nations in the Global South for Climate Change Mitigation

Climate change mitigation involves carbon sequestration that can be supported by Voluntary
Carbon Markets (VCMs) and counted as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)
in national climate change strategies. Integrating these allows for the determination of
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and carbon sequestration at the national level. The case
for Egypt and other nontropical dryland nations is made in this systematic review article
through consideration of monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) protocol challenges
and initiatives. Improvements are indicated based on the literature, encompassing the
academic literature as well as organizational reports and governmental policy documents.
Agricultural MRV protocols depending on soil organic carbon (SOC) measurements are
specifically considered, delineating the challenges and barriers for SOC MRV methods.
Considering the impacts of climate zones affecting soils and providing as much standardization
as possible for MRV protocols will improve the accuracy and generalizability
of data. Measurements in carbon sequestration monitoring based on SOC MRV protocols
need to be informed by soil experts alongside climatologists and policymakers in a
multidisciplinary approach.