News & Press
Paris forges momentum towards enduring climate action
Paris, 12 December 2015 – Today, at the UN climate talks in Paris a global deal where all countries have agreed to take action on climate change was adopted. Carbon Market Watch comments on the long-term goal, the ambition ratcheting mechanism, provisions for the use of markets, the establishment of a new mechanism, human rights provisions, bunker emissions, pre-2020 action and the impact of the Paris treaty on EU’s climate policies.
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Rich countries set to benefit from proposed carbon offsetting mechanism in Paris
Paris, 10 December. With less than 48 hours of negotiation time left, countries continue arguing about a new proposed carbon offsetting mechanism. Key concerns relate to doubts about the need for carbon offsets in the future, the inclusion of land use carbon offsets that are likely to open a new gigatonne loophole, and allowing developed…
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Five EU countries cancel surplus Kyoto Protocol units
Paris, 4 December 2015. The Kyoto Protocol is currently suffering from an 11 gigatonne hot air loopholes that undermines its environmental effectiveness. In this context, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom today announced that they will cancel part of their pre-2020 surplus units (AAUs) under the Kyoto Protocol.
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COP21 video game launch CAPMAN – Taking carbon out of the game
Paris, 2 December. Today, Carbon Market Watch and Pixel Impact launch the new COP21 video game CAPMAN. The interactive video game about the superhero CAPMAN, the heroic embodiment of real climate action, is promoting actions that limit CO2 emissions and cap global warming at 1.5C. The game is accessible at www.cap-man.net and will be launched at 7pm CET at the EU Pavilion in the COP21 venue.
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COP21 media briefing: what role for carbon markets?
From 30 November to 11 December 2015, countries are meeting in Paris to flesh out a historic deal against global warming. One open question is the role carbon markets may play in fulfilling the climate pledge. For more background information, see this media briefing. The Carbon Market Watch team is in Paris and closely following…
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UN’s carbon offsetting executive to discuss human rights safeguards
Brussels, 12 October. Following numerous incidents of human rights violations related to carbon offsetting projects, the UN’s Board of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) will, for the first time, discuss options to address these concerns at its 86th meeting starting today. The Board will also discuss recommendations to overhaul the CDM’s local stakeholder consultation rules, including a requirement that projects must repeat consultations if they have not been carried out in line with national laws. In an open letter, 96 groups from 35 countries have highlighted their support for these changes.
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Media Advisory: Carbon leakage myth buster
The concept of “carbon leakage” is a major area of discussion in the legislative proposal to revise the EU’s Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) for the post-2020 period. The Commission’s proposal continues the trend of awarding free allowances, effectively representing a financial subsidy of €160 billion, to heavy emitters without providing evidence for the need of such beneficial treatment. A new Carbon Market Watch policy briefing “Carbon leakage myth buster” brings the ongoing discussions on carbon leakage back to the facts.
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US and China launch Common Vision for Paris back to back with adoption of new universal Sustainable Development Agenda
25 September 2015. Today, in a significant move, US and China launched a common vision for Paris, including a new climate finance commitment by China of $3.1 billion to the Green Climate Fund. At the same time, the UN adopted a universal Sustainable Development Agenda to address poverty, need for development and environmental protection. The announcement combined with the new goals give new momentum for the Paris climate conference to better integrate sustainable development objectives.
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UN offers new marketplace for stranded carbon offsets
Brussels, 22 September 2015. Today, at the climate week in New York, the UN launched the “Climate Credit Store”- a new online platform to purchase carbon offsets generated by its Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). The initiative attempts to boost demand for CDM credits on the voluntary carbon market and for the aviation sector but fails to dodge the sale of bogus carbon offsets.
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EU’s official climate negotiation position fails to add up ahead of Paris
Brussels, 18 September 2015. Today, EU Ministers signed off their official position for the Paris climate negotiations but failed to agree on a common timeframe for all countries to increase their mitigation ambition, and robust criteria to regulate the use of carbon markets. On the positive side, Ministers emphasized the need to address emissions from international aviation and shipping, and endorsed the need to protect human rights.
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