Carbon market stakeholders are slowly moving beyond the zero-sum game of offsetting towards alternative ways of financing climate action. This positive development will make the existing market more robust, helping to shield it from reputational risks and environmental integrity scandals. Offsetting – paying someone else to reduce emissions instead of reducing one’s own – has…
New Year New Climate Momentum The private-sector task force, led by Mark Carney, has published its roadmap for “scaling up voluntary carbon markets”. More investments in climate action are, of course, more than welcome. But the task force should pay more attention to quality – instead of focusing on quantity. One striking omission in the new…
A reminder of the tricky issues of agreement on global carbon market rules in the context of ratcheting up climate ambition Raising ambition is the primordial task for governments ahead of and at the next UN climate conference. But it will also be essential to finally agree on the rules that will govern global carbon…
Relying on paying someone else to reduce emissions is risky and unsustainable. Therefore, private companies should stop “offsetting” and instead financially help poorer countries reach their climate targets and foster sustainable development. Voluntary carbon markets are booming as businesses across the world make climate-neutrality pledges. These plans often rely on the purchase of credits from…
Carbon Market Watch’s reaction to the publication of the report by the task force on scaling up voluntary carbon markets BRUSSELS 27 January 2021 The report of the “Taskforce on Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets” proposes the creation of updated quality criteria for carbon offsets and standardised reporting requirements but also leaves the door open for…
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Vacancy for Policy Officer Carbon Market Watch’s mission is to ensure that carbon pricing and other climate policies cut pollution and drive a just transition towards zero-carbon societies. Given the urgency of halting the climate breakdown, we want market-based climate policies to fulfil their promise and be used in wise combination with regulatory and incentivising measures. Our strengths…
It’s been dubbed a first of its kind – a new offset deal between Switzerland and Peru under the Paris Agreement. But how ground-breaking is this deal? And has there been any real change from the old offset efforts under the Kyoto Protocol of the past? Because of the postponement of COP26 in Glasgow, rules…
Dear members, friends & colleagues, Welcome to the 4th quarter 2020 edition of the Watch This, a civil society newsletter by Carbon Market Watch. In this edition we look at the damage caused to forest offset projects in California by the recent wildfires and question the validity of these carbon sinks that have quite literally gone up…
‘Carbon removals’ must be approached with caution Carbon removals are becoming a hot topic and are also rising up on the EU’s policy-making agenda. There is no denying that we will need to suck CO2 pollution from the atmosphere over the course of this century to avert the worst impacts of the climate crisis. But…
Kaisa Amaral, Communications Director
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