CMW inputs to A6.4SB structured consultation on methodological requirements_06.04.23

Carbon Market Watch argues that Article 6.4 methodologies must shift from incremental benefits to transformational activities to avoid eroding climate ambition. The organization advocates for the use of dynamic baseline contraction factors (BCFs) that trend toward zero by 2050, the implementation of 'negative lists' to exclude non-additional or fossil-fuel-linked projects, and the rejection of short-term sequestration activities as offsets due to non-permanence risks.

• Article 6.4 activities should prioritize transformational 'high-hanging fruits' rather than incremental improvements over business-as-usual (BAU), as the latter does not encourage ambition or align with long-term temperature goals.
• The use of baseline contraction factors (BCFs) is recommended to ensure equitable sharing of benefits and to align with Paris-compatible pathways; these baselines must be dynamic and decrease toward absolute zero by 2050.
• The Supervisory Body should establish 'negative lists' of activities that are fundamentally incompatible with Paris Agreement goals or have a low likelihood of additionality, such as renewable energy projects in most regions or those increasing fossil fuel infrastructure efficiency.
• Automatic additionality via 'positive lists' is viewed as a high-risk approach that could repeat the failures of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) by allowing mass crediting of non-additional activities.
• Carbon credits should not be used to finance the enforcement of existing national regulations, as this encourages countries to export the benefits of their own legislation and hinders the achievement of their NDCs.
• Mitigation activities resulting in short-term carbon sequestration—including forest protection, afforestation, reforestation, and soil carbon management—should be ineligible for offsets due to unacceptable non-permanence and reversal risks.
• Current market mechanisms for addressing non-permanence, such as buffer pools and tonne-year accounting, are considered insufficient for supporting offsetting claims because they cannot guarantee permanence over the required 2-3 century scale.

APA

Carbon Market Watch (2023). CMW inputs to A6.4SB structured consultation on methodological requirements_06.04.23. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/CMW-inputs-to-A6.4SB-structured-consultation-on-methodological-requirements_06.04.23.pdf

Chicago

Carbon Market Watch. CMW inputs to A6.4SB structured consultation on methodological requirements_06.04.23. 2023. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/CMW-inputs-to-A6.4SB-structured-consultation-on-methodological-requirements_06.04.23.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Carbon Market Watch |title=CMW inputs to A6.4SB structured consultation on methodological requirements_06.04.23 |date=6 April 2023 |url=https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/CMW-inputs-to-A6.4SB-structured-consultation-on-methodological-requirements_06.04.23.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{carbonmarketwatch2023cmw, author = {{Carbon Market Watch}}, title = {{CMW inputs to A6.4SB structured consultation on methodological requirements\_06.04.23}}, publisher = {Carbon Market Watch}, year = {2023}, month = apr, url = {https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/CMW-inputs-to-A6.4SB-structured-consultation-on-methodological-requirements_06.04.23.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }