The EU Member States and the European Parliament have begun to work on a major piece of EU climate legislation that covers 60% of the bloc’s greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon Market Watch has analysed the Commission’s proposal and suggests ways to improve it.
Faced with intense national and international pressure, Panamanian authorities suspended the flooding of the Barro Blanco reservoir two weeks after it began. International lenders are being pressured by international NGOs as they have a key role in settling the situation. On May 22nd, Panama’s National Authority for Public Services (ASEP) announced a “test flooding” of…
Joint statement by Transport & Environment, Carbon Market Watch, Fern, WWF European Policy Office, and the European Environmental Bureau Brussels-based green NGOs [1] have urged the European Commission to push on with its 2030 climate legislation – despite the uncertainty in the wake of the UK referendum result. The proposal for Europe’s largest climate instrument,…
In a move to bring the contentious Barro Blanco hydro dam project towards its completion, the Panamanian authorities have given the green light to begin flooding the reservoir. Affected indigenous communities still oppose the project, refusing to leave their endangered lands. Carbon Market Watch and other international NGOs have sent a letter to Panama’s President…
Washington DC, Bonn, Kiad, Panama 24 May 2016 – Today the floodgates were opened on the contentious UN backed Barro Blanco hydro dam in Panama, sparking forced removal by authorities of indigenous Ngäbe communities that are living in protest camps near the dam site. With construction finished, GENISA, the company that owns and operates the…
Despite strong opposition from the civil society, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board last week in Songdo accredited two entities – HSBC and Crédit Agricole – that have been contested for money laundering, investment in fossil fuel and poor protection of human and environmental rights. This unveils the double standard poor track record plays in accrediting big or small entities.
With the aim to approve first projects before COP21 in Paris, today the Board of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) will consider the first 8 funding proposals to receive Fund’s resources. Despite the opposition from the civil society, the Fund is also considering to accredit two high profile fossil fuel funders – HSBC and Crédit Agricole, – that are aiming to channel the Fund’s resources.
Following numerous incidents of human rights violations related to CDM projects, the CDM Board will, for the first time, discuss options to address these concerns at its next meeting starting on 12 October. It 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.
Last week, the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) closed a tender to buy 350.000 carbon credits from the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). According to the Invitation to Bid (ITB), offset credits must meet high quality requirements to be eligible. Quality criteria exclude coal, HFC-23 and large hydro projects that do not comply with additional quality assessments and favour projects that demonstrate improvements to the health, safety and welfare of people and especially women living near the projects.
As part of the climate week in New York, the UN launched the “Go Climate Neutral Now” initiative- 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.
Kaisa Amaral, Communications Director
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