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A coalition of environmental organizations calls on the Italian government to strengthen the EU's Effort Sharing Regulation by lowering the emission starting point, limiting the use of LULUCF and ETS credits, capping accumulated surpluses, and introducing periodic upward revisions of 2030 targets to align with the Paris Agreement.

A study of the first waste incineration plant in Estonia and the Baltic States found that the biomass fraction of combusted municipal waste is approximately 52% on a dry weight basis. Fossil carbon accounts for about 40% of total carbon on a wet weight basis, resulting in annual average fossil CO2 emissions of approximately 429 kg per ton of combusted waste. Accurate determination of these ratios is essential for government subsidies and CO2 charging under Estonian legislation.

Carbon Market Watch outlines specific requirements for the implementation of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, focusing on cooperative approaches, the Sustainable Development Mechanism (SDM), and non-market mechanisms. The organization argues that to avoid a "race to the bottom," robust multilateral rules are needed to prevent double counting and perverse incentives. Key recommendations include limiting eligible activities to those within the scope of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), requiring host countries to certify that actions do not violate human rights, and designing the SDM as a tool for results-based finance rather than "zero sum offsetting."

The statement warns that non-transparent land-use accounting in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) can allow countries to meet targets while carbon pollution increases. It highlights specific examples in Russia and New Zealand and advocates for separating land-use credits from other sectors to ensure the 1.5°C target is met through essential decarbonisation.

The document analyzes the evolving purpose and design challenges of international carbon market mechanisms under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, noting a shift in priority from economic efficiency toward raising mitigation ambition.

The authors propose that city-scale greenhouse gas accounting should shift its focus from national-scale principles of completeness and accuracy toward 'relevance' to better align with the governance structures of city governments. They suggest creating a 'core' category of emissions—such as CO2 from buildings and passenger transport and CH4 from waste management—to help mayors more effectively implement the emission reduction pledges made during COP21.

Carbon Market Watch argues that LULUCF activities are currently unfit for market mechanisms due to data uncertainty, incomplete accounting, and risks of non-permanence. The organization recommends moving toward a land-based, net-net accounting approach using historical baselines rather than projected emissions. It further proposes that LULUCF sectors be managed through non-market measures under Article 6.8 of the Paris Agreement to better integrate adaptation and sustainable development goals, while calling for the exclusion of non-permanent activities from the CDM.

The paper analyzes the diversity of (I)NDCs across target types, sectoral coverage, and greenhouse gas scopes, finding that while economy-wide absolute targets facilitate easier accounting, only 18 (I)NDCs (covering 41% of global emissions) currently employ them.

The 2016 External Review concludes that the World Resources Institute (WRI) is making strong progress in implementing its 2014-2017 Strategic Plan, with 89 of 96 specific statements of intent rated as 'on track' or 'achieved'. The review highlights WRI's success as a global 'think and do' tank, particularly in its research excellence, the development of open-data platforms like Global Forest Watch and Aqueduct, and its influence on the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals. While WRI has successfully expanded its global footprint with offices in Brazil, China, India, and Indonesia, the review identifies challenges in securing unrestricted funding, strengthening internal communications, and fully integrating poverty and gender perspectives into programmatic design. It also notes the effectiveness of WRI's matrix management structure, though it suggests further investment in management training to reduce transaction costs and improve coordination.

The document argues that the EU's LULUCF proposal should establish a separate target for soils and forests to prevent carbon sequestration from being used to offset industrial emissions. It emphasizes the need for improved accounting rules, safeguards for bioenergy, and the protection of ecosystem integrity and food security, particularly for indigenous peoples and small-scale farmers.

The document challenges the assumption that bioenergy is carbon-neutral, noting that LULUCF accounting cannot independently guarantee emission savings. It recommends an EU-wide cap on bioenergy, the exclusion of high-risk biomass sources, and a 'net-net' accounting approach for forest management emissions to ensure real climate benefits.

The Clean Air Task Force criticizes a June 2016 Senate Appropriations Committee bill that requires the US Environmental Protection Agency to treat forest biomass-based energy generation as carbon neutral. The author contends that this 'attempt to legislate science' ignores research showing that biomass combustion typically increases atmospheric carbon dioxide levels for decades. The document calls for a scientifically-defensible approach to carbon accounting, noting that while some specific bioenergy systems like co-generation using harvest residues may offer benefits, burning forest biomass generally emits more carbon dioxide per unit of electricity than coal or natural gas.

The document outlines technical recommendations for the California Air Resources Board (ARB) on monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) and accounting for CO2 sequestration. It emphasizes the priority of subsurface plume tracking over surface monitoring, argues that only anthropogenic CO2 should be credited, and suggests pragmatic 'haircut' approaches to credit reductions in the event of atmospheric leakage. For EOR applications, it clarifies that recycled CO2 should not require mass balance accounting and stresses the critical importance of wellbore integrity in brownfields.

The Carbon-CAP project evaluated consumption-based policy instruments across four acceptability criteria: economic distributional impact, legal viability, international political/trade concerns, and institutional capacity. The analysis suggests a tiered implementation strategy, prioritizing instruments that change the available product range or costs—such as approved technology lists and supply chain procurement requirements—over those that merely influence consumer choice. The brief emphasizes that these instruments are most effective when deployed in complementary portfolios to spread responsibility between producers and consumers and to mitigate individual policy weaknesses.

The document evaluates the status of land-use and forestry commitments within the UNFCCC framework ahead of the December 2015 Paris Agreement. It finds that while the REDD+ methodological framework is largely complete, the final text of the Paris Agreement remained under intense negotiation. Analysis of 122 submitted INDCs reveals that most countries set economy-wide targets, with 40 including specific forest actions and 18 explicitly excluding the land-use sector.

The CDKN-ICLEI First Learning Workshop in Quito, Ecuador, brought together 51 participants from 16 projects to identify enablers and barriers to sub-national climate compatible development (CCD). The workshop focused on moving from planning to implementation, resulting in a revised set of assumptions about effective CCD and the identification of critical knowledge gaps in planning, scaling, and conceptualisation. These outcomes informed seven core learning questions that project partners will address through the creation of 'Inside Stories'—reflective, evidence-based analyses of their learning processes. Regional discussions highlighted that in Asia, CCD is often framed as 'climate-smart' or 'climate-friendly' and requires strong links to poverty alleviation and gender issues, while in Latin America and the Caribbean, local framing and political will are seen as key drivers for sustainability.

The SEI Initiative on Fossil Fuels and Climate Change, launched in January 2015, aims to analyze the factors influencing fossil fuel development and influence policies to align development with sustainable goals. The initiative argues that climate strategies must address both the demand and supply sides of fossil fuels, as infrastructure and institutions can lock in long-term dependency.

The GCF Secretariat report for mid-March to mid-June 2015 details progress in accreditation, readiness support, and the development of a project pipeline. It highlights the achievement of the Fund's effectiveness threshold with approximately US$ 5.47 billion in contributions and the review of 76 public sector concept notes requesting US$ 3.4 billion. The report also outlines the activities of the Private Sector Facility (PSF), including the review of 48 potential project ideas totaling US$ 3.1 billion, and the Secretariat's engagement with UNFCCC thematic bodies and other climate funds to ensure policy coherence.

The document argues that biomass combustion should not be part of the Clean Power Plan's 'best system of emission reduction' because it emits more CO2 per megawatt-hour than coal and relies on speculative, delayed carbon offsets. The authors contend that the EPA lacks a rational scientific framework for biomass carbon accounting and that 'sustainability' standards are an inadequate proxy for carbon dynamics.

Carbon Market Watch argues that while carbon markets can be useful for high-cost emission reduction sectors, they must not substitute for domestic action or lead to the lock-in of high-carbon infrastructure. The organization emphasizes the necessity of an all-encompassing international accounting framework to prevent double counting and calls for the integration of social and environmental safeguards, including a grievance mechanism for the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).