Cause and effect

Correlation or causation: Is there a link between carbon offsetting and climate ambition?

A spate of recent studies are being used to claim a causal link for companies that offset their emissions between their use of carbon credits and their rate of internal decarbonisation. However, the available evidence tells a different story about whether or not companies exploit carbon markets as a licence to pollute.

Response to the SBTi call for evidence on the effectiveness of Environmental Attribute Certificates in climate targets

This collaborative submission on the effectiveness of Environmental Attribute Certificates was sent to the Science-Based Targets Initiative. It consists of 45 pieces of evidence, delivered in nine separate submissions (of five pieces of evidence each).   This submission is a collaboration between Carbon Market Watch and NewClimate Institute. All pieces of evidence submitted are in …

CMW’s COP28 recommendations to SBSTA on key Article 6 topics

The below table provides CMW’s recommendations concerning key Article 6 topics on which SBSTA is mandated to provide recommendations/guidance for adoption by the CMA at COP28. These recommendations build on a previous set of recommendations CMW had prepared ahead of SB 58. To summarise, for Article 6.2: Sequencing: The 6.2 process should have clearly separated, …

SBTi BVCM public consultation submission

The Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) launched a public consultation on beyond value chain mitigation (BVCM) which inputs into guidance the SBTi is currently preparing and which will be released in the autumn of 2023. The consultation was divided into nine categories that touched upon BVCM-related definitions, processes, methods, resource deployments and finance, claims, reporting, …

Article 6.4 public consultation on removals

Carbon Market Watch welcomes the opportunity to provide inputs to the Supervisory Body on specific questions pertaining to removal activities. Our inputs respond to questions from the document ‘Guidance and questions for structured consultation on recommendations for activities involving removals’.

Inputs to structured consultation on removal activities (Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement)

Carbon Market Watch welcomes the opportunity to provide inputs to the Supervisory Body on specific questions pertaining to removal activities. However, we note that the 2-week window to make submissions is extremely short and also overlaps with SB58, which many observer organisations that closely follow the Supervisory Body have attended – as a result, there …

Plenary session at 2022 Bonn Climate Conference

Devil in the details at 2023 Bonn climate conference

If the country-to-country carbon market established under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement is to have any credibility, negotiators meeting at the UN intersessional climate conference in Bonn must agree on the fine print that prevents double counting, abandons secrecy and promotes accountability.