Carbon Market Watch inputs to the Article 6.4 Supervisory Body ahead of its 16th meeting: Baseline standard

Carbon Market Watch argues that the draft Baseline standard for Article 6.4 mechanism methodologies fails to quantitatively demonstrate alignment with the Paris Agreement's long-term temperature goals. The organization criticizes the proposed 1% annual downward adjustment as insufficient to raise ambition over time and suggests adopting a 'Paris Goal Coefficient' to link baseline emissions directly to net-zero target dates. Additionally, it recommends that Best Available Technology (BAT) be revised at least every five years and that legally binding national or sub-national targets be incorporated into Business-As-Usual (BAU) scenarios regardless of the perceived sufficiency of implementation frameworks.

• The draft Baseline standard does not meaningfully address the requirement to align mechanism methodologies with the long-term temperature goal of the Paris Agreement, as it asks participants to show an activity "does not constrain" the goal without requiring quantitative demonstration.
• The proposed minimum 1% annual increase in downward adjustment is considered too low to ensure ambition is raised over time or to guarantee alignment with the Paris Agreement's temperature goals, especially in sectors that may be nearly decarbonized by 2040.
• Carbon Market Watch suggests using a "Paris Goal Coefficient" to reduce baseline emissions linearly to zero by a host country's net-zero target date, providing a quantifiable link between baselines and climate targets.
• The organization recommends a mandatory maximum five-year period for the use of Best Available Technology (BAT) without revision due to the dynamic nature of technological developments.
• The document argues that legally binding national or sub-national targets should be incorporated into Business-As-Usual (BAU) scenarios without being subject to interpretations regarding whether the policy implementation frameworks are "sufficient".

APA

Carbon Market Watch (2025). Carbon Market Watch inputs to the Article 6.4 Supervisory Body ahead of its 16th meeting: Baseline standard. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/CMW-inputs-to-SBM-on-the-Baseline-standard.pdf

Chicago

Carbon Market Watch. Carbon Market Watch inputs to the Article 6.4 Supervisory Body ahead of its 16th meeting: Baseline standard. 2025. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/CMW-inputs-to-SBM-on-the-Baseline-standard.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Carbon Market Watch |title=Carbon Market Watch inputs to the Article 6.4 Supervisory Body ahead of its 16th meeting: Baseline standard |date=6 May 2025 |url=https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/CMW-inputs-to-SBM-on-the-Baseline-standard.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{carbonmarketwatch2025carbon, author = {{Carbon Market Watch}}, title = {{Carbon Market Watch inputs to the Article 6.4 Supervisory Body ahead of its 16th meeting: Baseline standard}}, publisher = {Carbon Market Watch}, year = {2025}, month = may, url = {https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/CMW-inputs-to-SBM-on-the-Baseline-standard.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }