Open letter against international credits integration into the EU 2040 climate target and NDC

An open letter from Carbon Market Watch and other signatories urging EU leadership to reject the use of Article 6 international credits to meet 2040 climate goals. The authors argue that relying on international credits undermines EU leadership, poses reputational risks due to poor environmental integrity, fails to provide genuine climate finance, and increases the long-term economic costs of the energy transition. They call for a science-based domestic target of at least 90% net reductions to ensure environmental integrity and maintain the EU's credibility as a historic emitter.

• The authors argue that using international credits would weaken the EU's domestic ambition and undermine its international leadership, especially as other countries look to the EU to set a precedent for science-aligned targets.
• The document asserts that international credits under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement lack environmental integrity and social safeguards, citing examples of problematic deals involving Switzerland, Thailand, Ghana, and Guyana, and noting that some Article 6.4 credits may overstate carbon reductions by 26 times.
• The use of international credits is described as a failure to provide genuine climate finance, as these transactions are viewed as trades rather than obligated contributions, and they may justify a continued reliance on fossil fuels.
• Integrating international credits could increase the costs of the EU's economic transition by creating recurring annual expenses of tens of billions of euros and risking the creation of stranded assets through unclear policy signals.
• The signatories call for a domestic EU 2040 climate target of at least 90% net reductions or higher, aligned with 1.5°C science and equity.

APA

Carbon Market Watch (2025). Open letter against international credits integration into the EU 2040 climate target and NDC. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Open-letter-against-Art-6-use-in-EU-2040-climate-target-website.pdf

Chicago

Carbon Market Watch. Open letter against international credits integration into the EU 2040 climate target and NDC. 2025. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Open-letter-against-Art-6-use-in-EU-2040-climate-target-website.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Carbon Market Watch |title=Open letter against international credits integration into the EU 2040 climate target and NDC |date=11 June 2025 |url=https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Open-letter-against-Art-6-use-in-EU-2040-climate-target-website.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{carbonmarketwatch2025open, author = {{Carbon Market Watch}}, title = {{Open letter against international credits integration into the EU 2040 climate target and NDC}}, publisher = {Carbon Market Watch}, year = {2025}, month = jun, url = {https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Open-letter-against-Art-6-use-in-EU-2040-climate-target-website.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }