Carbon Market Watch’s briefing note for SBSTA 51 & COP25

Carbon Market Watch argues that any agreement on Article 6 must prioritize environmental integrity over expediency, specifically calling for the elimination of double counting through corresponding adjustments and the prevention of 'hot air' credits. The briefing advocates for a partial cancellation rate for all credits to achieve an overall mitigation in global emissions (OMGE) and the total exclusion of pre-2020 Kyoto Protocol units. Additionally, it emphasizes the need for independent grievance mechanisms and mandatory local stakeholder consultations to address past failures in social and environmental safeguards.

• To prevent double counting and ensure environmental integrity, Carbon Market Watch recommends three specific measures: the use of an international transaction log and national registries for transparent tracking, the application of corresponding adjustments at the point of first transfer for every carbon credit, and the integration of accounting rules across Article 6.2, Article 6.4, CORSIA, and the voluntary carbon market.
• The briefing argues that conservative baselines alone cannot achieve an Overall Mitigation in Global Emissions (OMGE); instead, a partial cancellation rate must be applied to every credit issued under Article 6 so that a proportion of emission reductions are not claimed by any entity.
• Carbon Market Watch urges the complete exclusion of Kyoto Protocol units (including CERs, ERU, RMUs, and AAUs) post-2020 and demands that all existing projects and methodologies be re-evaluated against stringent quality criteria.
• To improve social and environmental safeguards, the document recommends that all mitigation projects require local stakeholder consultation during implementation and the establishment of a grievance mechanism governed by an independent body.
• To prevent the recurrence of 'hot air' credits and the carry-over of old units between NDC periods, the briefing proposes capping the transfer of ITMOs generated under Article 6.2 (e.g., to 1% of average annual emissions from 2010-2012), preventing banking of these ITMOs across NDC periods, and limiting the lifetime or banking of A6.4ERs to 5 years.

APA

Carbon Market Watch (2019). Carbon Market Watch’s briefing note for SBSTA 51 & COP25. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/COP25-CMW-recommendations.pdf

Chicago

Carbon Market Watch. Carbon Market Watch’s briefing note for SBSTA 51 & COP25. 2019. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/COP25-CMW-recommendations.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Carbon Market Watch |title=Carbon Market Watch’s briefing note for SBSTA 51 & COP25 |date=December 2019 |url=https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/COP25-CMW-recommendations.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{carbonmarketwatch2019carbon, author = {{Carbon Market Watch}}, title = {{Carbon Market Watch’s briefing note for SBSTA 51 \& COP25}}, institution = {Carbon Market Watch}, year = {2019}, month = dec, url = {https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/COP25-CMW-recommendations.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }