CMW inputs on the grievance process in Article 6.4

Carbon Market Watch (CMW) argues that the Article 6.4 Supervisory Body must establish a robust, independent grievance mechanism before registering any carbon crediting projects to protect indigenous peoples and local communities. Drawing on a review by Perspectives Climate Research, CMW finds that most voluntary carbon market (VCM) standards—including Verra, American Carbon Registry, and Climate Action Reserve—have inadequate mechanisms, while the Global Carbon Council lacks one entirely. Only the Gold Standard and the Green Climate Fund's Independent Redress Mechanism are identified as high-quality models. CMW recommends that the Article 6.4 mechanism be fully independent, transparent, and accessible, featuring a public grievance repository and the power to overturn Supervisory Body decisions.

• A review of voluntary carbon market standards found that only the Gold Standard has an appropriate grievance mechanism, while Verra, Climate Action Reserve, and American Carbon Registry are inadequate, and the Global Carbon Council currently has none.
• The Green Climate Fund’s Independent Redress Mechanism is identified as a high-quality model that exceeds even the Gold Standard, acting as a standalone institution independent from the GCF secretariat and reporting directly to the GCF board.
• CMW asserts that the Article 6.4 grievance mechanism must be operational before any projects are registered or credits issued to ensure the right to redress for indigenous peoples and local communities.
• CMW recommends that the Article 6.4 Supervisory Body establish an independent appeals process as a distinct and more urgent priority than the grievance process, as SB decisions are currently being made without a mechanism for stakeholders to appeal them.
• To ensure adequacy and transparency, CMW recommends that the Article 6.4 mechanism have the power to overturn Supervisory Body decisions and that projects under investigation be flagged on the registry.
• The document recommends the creation of a public grievance repository for Article 6.4 that includes summary statistics on the number of grievances, types of grievances, the country of complainants, and the number of resolutions.

APA

Carbon Market Watch (2023). CMW inputs on the grievance process in Article 6.4. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/CMW-input-on-Art-6.4-grievance-process-to-SBSTA_March-2023-1.pdf

Chicago

Carbon Market Watch. CMW inputs on the grievance process in Article 6.4. 2023. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/CMW-input-on-Art-6.4-grievance-process-to-SBSTA_March-2023-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Carbon Market Watch |title=CMW inputs on the grievance process in Article 6.4 |date=14 March 2023 |url=https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/CMW-input-on-Art-6.4-grievance-process-to-SBSTA_March-2023-1.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{carbonmarketwatch2023cmw, author = {{Carbon Market Watch}}, title = {{CMW inputs on the grievance process in Article 6.4}}, publisher = {Carbon Market Watch}, year = {2023}, month = mar, url = {https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/CMW-input-on-Art-6.4-grievance-process-to-SBSTA_March-2023-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }