Outdated carbon credits issued under the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism must be scrapped for the sake of the climate, argues Gilles Dufrasne. Carbon markets are high on the agenda of this year’s COP26 climate conference as countries meet again to agree on rules governing the Paris Agreement. One of the most contentious negotiation items …
Read more “COP26: Kyoto-era carbon credits will not repay our debt to the climate”
Introduction This briefing gives an overview of the current discussions under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement which establishes the foundation for market-based climate measures after 2020. It lays out key lessons from the Kyoto Protocol markets, highlights essential issues within the Article 6 negotiations, and provides recommendations on how to solve them. It concludes …
Read more “Carbon markets 101 – the ultimate guide to global offsetting mechanisms”
TODAY’S SUPPLY OF CARBON CREDITS AND TOMORROW’S DEMAND FROM CORSIA Carbon Market Watch Factsheet Summary The concern that too few credits will be available to meet demand from airlines under the future aviation carbon market CORSIA is misplaced. Today’s supply from the three largest voluntary programmes alone is enough to cover CORSIA’s demand until well …
Read more “What will airlines buy to offset their pollution?”
A new paper published in Nature Climate Change confirms that relying on outdated Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) carbon credits to compensate aviation emissions will do nothing for climate action. You can read the full paper here (paywall): Warnecke et al. (2019): “Robust eligibility criteria essential for new global scheme to offset aviation emissions”, Nature Climate …
Read more “Existing UN carbon credits will do nothing to offset aviation industry pollution, new Nature study finds”
Dear UNFCCC Head of Delegation, The Paris Agreement adopted in 2015 marked a groundbreaking evolution in the global ambition to fight climate change. It also makes clear that a radical shift is required to move beyond the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). We, representing 99 organizations from around the world, are therefore calling upon you to …
Read more “Open Letter to UNFCCC Heads of Delegations on Ending the CDM”
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.
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 …
Read more “The New Article 6: We Know What We Need (ECO: UNFCCC SB48)”
Executive Summary The Paris Agreement breaks away from the division of “developed” vs. “developing” countries which was enshrined in the Kyoto Protocol. It sets a new dynamic which will inevitably impact the next generation of carbon markets. It further sets new objectives for these mechanisms, such as contributing to overall mitigation of global GHG emissions and …
Read more “Reconciling CORSIA and the Sustainable Development Mechanism”
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 …
Read more “Withdrawn UN advert shows why carbon offset scheme should be scrapped”
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 …
Read more “Sham consultations, ruthless exploitation: CDM project experience in India”
