The EU’s double-counting problem

The EU's Carbon Removals Certification Framework (CRCF) is criticized for failing to mandate 'corresponding adjustments,' allowing both companies and countries to claim the same emissions reductions. This 'double counting' risks displacing necessary climate action and contradicts the EU's own international stance on additionality and the rules of the Paris Agreement's Article 6.

• The EU's Carbon Removals Certification Framework (CRCF) does not require that a removal unit used by a company for its voluntary climate targets be excluded from the accounting of the country where the unit was generated.
• The CRCF's language regarding double counting is viewed as insufficient because it prohibits use by more than one 'legal or natural person,' which legal experts suggest excludes member states and public entities.
• The EU has failed to align the CRCF with the 'corresponding adjustments' principle of the Paris Agreement's Article 6, leaving the integration of such adjustments as an optional future revision for 2026.
• Double counting creates a risk of non-additionality, where the EU or its member states might avoid implementing necessary climate policies because targets appear to be met through corporate investments in removal units.

APA

Stoefs, W. (2024). The EU’s double-counting problem. Carbon Market Watch. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2024/03/22/the-eus-double-counting-problem/

Chicago

Stoefs, Wijnand. The EU’s double-counting problem. Carbon Market Watch, 2024. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2024/03/22/the-eus-double-counting-problem/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Stoefs |first1=Wijnand |title=The EU’s double-counting problem |publisher=Carbon Market Watch |date=22 March 2024 |url=https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2024/03/22/the-eus-double-counting-problem/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{stoefs2024eus, author = {Stoefs, Wijnand}, title = {{The EU’s double-counting problem}}, publisher = {Carbon Market Watch}, year = {2024}, month = mar, url = {https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2024/03/22/the-eus-double-counting-problem/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }