News & Press
By Femke de Jong on 26 Sep 2018
GCAS: Effective carbon pricing can no longer be hampered by bad policy
Pricing of coal pollution for its damaging impacts on our health and the planet “is an issue of life and death” according to former Secretary of State John Kerry at the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco this month. Carbon Market Watch participated in the summit to present how engagement of environmental groups, as a counterweight to the lobby interests of high-emitting industries, is critical for fairer and more effective carbon pricing.
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By Gilles Dufrasne on 14 Sep 2018
UN market negotiations: Will we learn from the past?
The divide between countries on key elements of the new UN carbon markets have become apparent at the last UNFCCC session which closed last week in Bangkok. Open questions around the transition of old markets and how to ensure that carbon offsets do not water down climate ambition are set to continue during COP24, when major rules of the Paris Rulebook are expected to be finalised in December in Katowice, Poland.
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By CAN International on 6 Sep 2018
The New Article 6: We Know What We Need (ECO: UNFCCC SB48)
Market negotiations resumed at full speed in Bangkok, with new text being published after only one day of negotiations. Parties are feeling the pressure now that COP24 is looming. We’ve started the session by hearing lists of priorities for items that could not be postponed to 2019 (assuming that not all issues could be resolved…
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By Gilles Dufrasne on 31 Aug 2018
Withdrawn UN advert shows why carbon offset scheme should be scrapped
The United Nations (UN) climate agency released a video this week mocking lifestyle changes, such as reducing meat consumption and flying, to promote the use of highly controversial credits to offset emissions. The video “Keep calm and offset” has since been removed, but inadvertently points to the main problems with offsetting, a concept that creates the illusion…
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By Gilles Dufrasne on 19 Jun 2018
An elephant in the room
How offsetting threatens even the most ambitious carbon pricing initiatives As leaders from three major carbon pricing jurisdictions meet in Brussels this week, it is important to take stock of how effectively pollution is priced in China, Canada, and the EU, and how it can help deliver on Paris climate goals. The 24th UN…
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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 7 Jun 2018
It’s time for rich countries to stop wasting money on fossil fuels
For almost a decade, the world’s most powerful economies have been making promises to stop channeling public money for fossil fuels that pollute our air and drive dangerous climate change, with little impact so far. This weekend’s G7 meeting in Canada is an opportunity to move from words to action. Expect intense discussions on a…
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Carbon Market Watch Newsletter – May 2018
Editorial At the recent UN climate talks in Bonn, negotiations on future market provisions largely focused on the process, but key issues will need to be sorted out at the next session in Bangkok before the “Paris rulebook” can be adopted. It is particularly important to have strong rules in place to protect the rights of those affected by climate…
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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 Gilles Dufrasne, Eva Filzmoser on 16 May 2018
The road ahead for UN carbon markets
Another round of UN climate talks closed on May 10th in Bonn, where negotiators discussed the “Paris Agreement rulebook”, a set of rules to regulate how commitments put forward in Paris can be implemented starting in 2020. The rulebook is to be finalised by the UN climate change conference (COP24) in December this year in…
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