HERDING THE GLOBAL CARBON MARKET CATS: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE NEGOTIATIONS OF THE FRAMEWORK ON VARIOUS APPROACHES

Carbon Market Watch argues that the Framework for Various Approaches (FVA) should not be established or piloted until the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP) defines mitigation commitment requirements and common accounting rules. The author contends that carbon markets have failed to incentivize adequate national commitments and warns that without stringent eligibility criteria and international oversight, the FVA could facilitate the use of low-quality units and 'hot air' offsets. Key recommendations include linking market access to high ambition, eliminating all forms of double-counting to ensure a 'net atmospheric benefit', and excluding detrimental sectors like coal power and REDD+ activities from the framework.

• Carbon markets have not successfully incentivized countries to adopt adequate emission reduction commitments, and low-cost short-term mitigation may lead to technological lock-in.
• The Framework for Various Approaches (FVA) and any associated pilot phases should be delayed until the ADP negotiations establish mitigation commitment requirements and a common accounting framework.
• Participation in international carbon markets should be restricted to Parties with sufficiently ambitious reduction commitments to prevent the use of 'hot air' and spurious offsets.
• Double-counting of emission reductions, specifically 'double claiming' by both host and buyer countries, must be eliminated to achieve a net atmospheric benefit beyond existing targets.
• Financial flows related to the purchase of credits should not be counted as financial assistance to host countries if the buyer uses those credits to meet their own mitigation targets.
• To ensure environmental integrity, the FVA must exclude REDD+ activities and projects in sectors with detrimental climate impacts, such as coal power.

APA

Carbon Market Watch (2013). HERDING THE GLOBAL CARBON MARKET CATS: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE NEGOTIATIONS OF THE FRAMEWORK ON VARIOUS APPROACHES. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/HerdingtheGlobalCarbonMarketCats.pdf

Chicago

Carbon Market Watch. HERDING THE GLOBAL CARBON MARKET CATS: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE NEGOTIATIONS OF THE FRAMEWORK ON VARIOUS APPROACHES. 2013. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/HerdingtheGlobalCarbonMarketCats.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Carbon Market Watch |title=HERDING THE GLOBAL CARBON MARKET CATS: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE NEGOTIATIONS OF THE FRAMEWORK ON VARIOUS APPROACHES |date=November 2013 |url=https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/HerdingtheGlobalCarbonMarketCats.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{carbonmarketwatch2013herding, author = {{Carbon Market Watch}}, title = {{HERDING THE GLOBAL CARBON MARKET CATS: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE NEGOTIATIONS OF THE FRAMEWORK ON VARIOUS APPROACHES}}, publisher = {Carbon Market Watch}, year = {2013}, month = nov, url = {https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/HerdingtheGlobalCarbonMarketCats.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }