Making Sense of Article 6: Key Issues and What's at Stake

This working paper by the World Resources Institute outlines the critical issues surrounding the negotiation of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which governs international cooperation through carbon markets. It emphasizes that the operationalization of accounting rules, additionality, and financial mechanisms will determine whether Article 6 enhances global climate ambition or weakens the environmental integrity of nationally determined contributions (NDCs).

• The operationalization of accounting rules for Article 6 is critical to preventing double counting; failure to avoid this could lead to an increase in global emissions and a weakening of nationally determined contributions (NDCs).
• The finalization of Article 6 will determine if emissions reductions are additional to what would have happened without the Article; the use of non-additional reduction units would diminish the ambition of NDCs.
• Article 6 has the potential to support increased ambition and cost-effective emissions reductions, depending on whether it incentivizes the expansion of greenhouse gas (GHG) coverage and sectors in subsequent NDCs.
• The rules for Article 6 influence the flow of finance for climate activities and adaptation, as investor confidence relies on a credible market. This includes the potential for a share of proceeds to be levied for the adaptation fund.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Making Sense of Article 6: Key Issues and What's at Stake. https://www.wri.org/research/making-sense-article-6-key-issues-and-whats-stake

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Making Sense of Article 6: Key Issues and What's at Stake. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/making-sense-article-6-key-issues-and-whats-stake.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Making Sense of Article 6: Key Issues and What's at Stake |url=https://www.wri.org/research/making-sense-article-6-key-issues-and-whats-stake |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendmaking, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Making Sense of Article 6: Key Issues and What's at Stake}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/making-sense-article-6-key-issues-and-whats-stake}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }