News & Press
By Kaisa Amaral on 26 Nov 2020
UN shipping body torpedoes its own climate strategy
As the global efforts to cut CO2 pollution from ships hit the wall, regions and countries must step up. In Europe, work to bring the sector under the bloc’s carbon market is ongoing, but slowing down. Earlier this month, the UN shipping agency International Maritime Organisation (IMO) approved a draft plan to cut CO2 pollution…
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By Ilaria Buttu, Gilles Dufrasne on 29 Oct 2020
Airlines continue to push against climate policies as EU Commission proposes new rules
Airlines have been hit hard by the pandemic induced economic slowdown and travel restrictions, but are also using the situation as an excuse to lobby even harder against climate regulations. As the EU works on its aviation climate package, it must ensure that – like other transport modes – the sector pays for its pollution…
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By Gilles Dufrasne on 1 Dec 2018
EU Member States resist aviation industry pressure to weaken climate regulation
This week, European Member States agreed on a common position regarding the future implementation of the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) new carbon market, set to start operating in 2021. The creation of a new offsetting mechanism for aviation, the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), was agreed as part of a…
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By Gilles Dufrasne on 24 Jul 2018
Green finance must be people-friendly
Today, civil society organisations have sent out a letter to leaders of the European Commission to call on them to adopt financial investment rules which will benefit both the people and the environment. The letter is part of a wider effort from civil society to make sure that “sustainable” finance does not end up harming people…
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By Guest: Soumya Dutta on 12 Jun 2018
Sham consultations, ruthless exploitation: CDM project experience in India
Guest article by Soumya Dutta, Beyond Copenhagen collective, India India hosts a big share of climate mitigation projects under the UN’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). Many of these projects have blatantly violated the rights of affected communities and stakeholder consultations are carried out rarely if ever, writes Soumya Dutta. The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) was…
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By Gilles Dufrasne on 24 May 2018
Learning from Barro Blanco: how to improve public participation in climate projects
As negotiations on the Paris Agreement rules approach the finish line, it will be important to ensure that future climate mitigation projects respect human rights and the environment. Ever since flood waters started to rise at the Barro Blanco hydro dam site on the Tabasará river in Panama, destroying agricultural lands, cultural sites, and numerous…
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By Eva Filzmoser | Pierre-Jean Brasier on 30 Nov 2017
Closing a (violent) chapter: Santa Rita hydro dam project officially cancelled
In October, the private sector lending arm of the World Bank Group (International Finance Corporation, IFC) confirmed the cancellation of a controversial Santa Rita hydroelectric project in Guatemala, approved under the UN’s carbon offsetting scheme Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). The announcement follows a report by the IFC Ombudsman which found serious failings in the project…
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By Pierre-Jean Brasier on 25 Oct 2017
WATCH THIS! NGO Voices on Climate Finance & Carbon Markets #20 – October 2017
Editorial Dear partners, dear friends, Welcome to the 20th edition of our Watch This! Newsletter. In this edition, we introduce two of Carbon Market Watch’s new working topics: international shipping emissions and carbon pricing. On both issues, the involvement of the network will be key, as a vital counterweight to the interests of emitting industries….
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WATCH THIS! NGO Voices on Climate Finance & Carbon Markets #19 July 2017
18 Jul 2017 Editorial Dear partners, dear friends, It is my pleasure to bring you the latest edition of the Watch This newsletter! This issue will give you the latest on the international climate negotiations. Our first article comes back on the latest UNFCCC intersession, which took place last May in Bonn, focusing specifically…
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By Kelsey Perlman on 17 May 2017
Lead EU lawmaker agrees that global aviation deal should not automatically replace Europe’s carbon market
The European Parliament’s negotiator on aviation emissions has proposed to bring international flights back under the EU’s carbon market if the global aviation deal to tackle emissions is deemed insufficient. Ambition in the sector remains low, but the draft report calls for higher auctioning shares, a timely review comparing EU and international aviation policy, and…
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