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The briefing warns that loopholes in the EU's climate framework have created a 'bubble' of 4 billion tonnes of unused pollution credits. This surplus, split between the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) and the Effort Sharing Decision, threatens to undermine the EU's proposed 2030 goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% compared to 1990 levels. The author argues that if these credits are carried over into the 2030 framework, the actual emission reductions could drop to 26%.

The document warns that a 'hot air bubble' of 4 billion pollution credits across the EU ETS and ESD could reduce the actual effectiveness of the EU's 2030 climate target from 40% to as low as 26%. It details how 1.35 billion tonnes of surplus credits in the Effort Sharing Decision and 2.6 billion excess allowances in the Emissions Trading System are created by weak targets, international offsets, and free permit allocations to industry. The author calls on EU Heads of State to disallow the banking of ESD surpluses and permanently cancel excess EU ETS allowances to prevent these 'phantom rights to pollute' from carrying over into the 2030 framework.

The document outlines CPI's approach to defining climate finance, distinguishing between project-level costs and revenues and broader whole-economy expenditures. It defines climate finance as the sum of total investment costs and public framework expenditures, explicitly excluding revenue support to avoid double counting. The brief also identifies three primary entry points for public intervention to close 'viability gaps'—the difference between total project costs and generated revenues—which include increasing revenues, reducing project costs, and improving the overall investment climate through framework expenditures.

The document serves as a prevention manual for forest communities, specifically in equatorial regions of Asia, Africa, and the Americas, to avoid signing REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) and similar conservation contracts. It argues that these projects often use deceptive language and long-term commitments (30 to 80 years) to strip communities of their land rights, prohibit traditional agricultural and forestry activities, and transfer biodiversity benefits to private companies. The guide advocates for community-led forest management, the legal recognition of territorial titles, and public policies that support traditional conservation practices instead of market-based carbon offsets.

The document warns forest communities in tropical regions about the dangers of signing REDD and forest conservation contracts, which it argues can lead to 'deterritorialization' and loss of autonomy. It details how these contracts often use technical language to hide restrictive obligations, such as banning traditional agriculture and wood use, while granting companies extensive access to biodiversity and carbon credits for long periods (30 to 80 years). The guide advocates for the recognition of indigenous land rights and the implementation of public policies that support collective, non-market-based community forest management as a more effective way to preserve biodiversity and prevent deforestation.

The document serves as a prevention manual for communities in equatorial forest regions, specifically highlighting how REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) and similar 'pay for conservation' projects can be deceptive. It analyzes contracts from the Peruvian Amazon and Brazil to demonstrate how technical language and long-term commitments (30 to 80 years) can strip indigenous peoples of their land rights, prohibit traditional agricultural practices, and transfer biodiversity benefits to private companies. The guide advocates for community-led forest management, the legal recognition of territorial titles, and public policies that support traditional sustainable practices instead of market-based carbon mechanisms.

The guide warns forest communities against signing REDD and forest conservation contracts, which it argues are often designed to strip local people of their land rights and sovereignty. It highlights how these contracts, often written in technical jargon and spanning 30 to 80 years, impose strict prohibitions on farming and timber use, potentially forcing communities to abandon their territories. The document advocates for community-based forest management and the recognition of traditional land rights as more effective and just alternatives to market-based carbon schemes.

The report identifies diverse strategies used by developing countries to protect tropical forests, ranging from national-scale policies in Brazil and India to community-led projects in Madagascar and Kenya. It highlights the effectiveness of REDD+ programs, payments for ecosystem services (PES), and governance reforms, while noting that success is often linked to broader socioeconomic development and the use of remote sensing technology for enforcement.

The report analyzes diverse strategies used by developing nations to protect tropical forests and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It categorizes successes into those driven by planned policies (e.g., Brazil, India), those that yielded positive results despite deviating from economic theory (e.g., Mexico, Costa Rica), and those resulting from socioeconomic shifts (e.g., Central Africa, El Salvador). Key mechanisms identified include REDD+, payments for ecosystem services (PES), governance reforms, and industry moratoria.

The report examines diverse strategies for reducing tropical deforestation and increasing forest cover across several developing nations. It categorizes successes into those driven by integrated policy frameworks (e.g., Brazil, India), those where outcomes were positive despite deviating from economic theories (e.g., Mexico, Costa Rica), and those influenced heavily by socioeconomic shifts (e.g., Central Africa, El Salvador). Key mechanisms discussed include REDD+, payments for ecosystem services (PES), community-based management, and industry moratoria.

The report examines diverse strategies used by developing tropical nations to combat deforestation and restore forests, categorizing successes into policy-driven reductions, payment for environmental services, and socio-economic shifts. It highlights the 'forest transition' curve and emphasizes that combining environmental action with social and economic development is key to sustainable success.

The research evaluates four options for carbon market mechanisms to ensure they produce net emission reductions in host countries rather than merely offsetting emissions. The study identifies the application of discounts on avoided emissions and standardisation below business as usual as the most promising approaches, suggesting these be applied differentially based on project internal rates of return to balance cost-efficiency and attractiveness.

The document provides an educational overview of REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation), detailing its three-phase implementation process and the technical challenges of establishing reference levels for carbon emissions. It contrasts market-based financing (carbon credits) with fund-based approaches, highlighting concerns that carbon offsets may allow developed nations to avoid reducing their own emissions. The guide emphasizes significant risks to indigenous communities, including forced eviction due to land tenure insecurity and the potential for corruption in fund distribution. It evaluates the safeguards of the UN-REDD and World Bank programs, noting that while UN-REDD has stronger theoretical protections, practical implementation remains a concern, as evidenced by a case study in Vietnam where free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) was found to be deficient.

The Kenyan agricultural sector, which accounts for over a fifth of the GDP, is highly sensitive to climate change, facing risks from unpredictable rainfall, droughts, and pests. While the sector is a significant emitter of greenhouse gases—primarily from livestock—the document emphasizes that adaptation to ensure food security and export earnings is the priority. It suggests climate-smart practices such as agroforestry and conservation tillage to build resilience and reduce emissions, while noting that the carbon market currently offers limited financial benefits due to high monitoring costs.

The Philippines successfully phased out most consumer energy subsidies by deregulating the downstream oil industry in 1998 and restructuring the electricity sector via the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001. To manage the social impacts of these reforms, the government implemented targeted measures including the Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program (4Ps) conditional cash transfers, lifeline electricity rates, and the Pantawid Pasada program for public transport operators. While the country has attracted private investment and improved energy efficiency, it continues to face challenges such as high electricity rates, power shortages in Mindanao, and fuel smuggling.

The research paper examines the complexity and stringency of the Clean Development Mechanism's (CDM) monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) requirements. It finds that these rules act as barriers to project success, noting that only one-third of registered projects have successfully managed initial verification to receive carbon credits. By comparing CDM-MRV provisions with those of the EU Emission Trading System (EU ETS), the paper concludes that some CDM requirements are stricter and less flexible than necessary, creating burdens that do not contribute to environmental integrity. The document suggests that improving cost-efficiency and reducing uncertainty in these rules is essential for the development of future market-based mechanisms.

The document introduces the CaRROT toolkit, an MS Excel-based tool for Kenya's flower industry to account for GHG emissions, energy, and water consumption. It outlines the assessment methodology based on ISO, IPCC, and GHG Protocol standards, and identifies climate-related business opportunities such as the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and voluntary carbon markets. The report recommends establishing sectoral baselines and enhancing capacity building to transition the industry toward a low-carbon model.

Carbon Market Watch argues that the Joint Implementation (JI) mechanism has a poor track record, noting that countries with large AAU surpluses have issued millions of credits without integrity or climate benefits. Following the decision in Doha to merge the two JI tracks and establish guiding principles for additionality, the organization proposes four specific reforms: halting the issuance of Emission Reduction Units (ERUs) during the interim period, requiring a review procedure at the registration stage, strengthening criteria for baseline setting and additionality, and implementing procedures to renew crediting periods.

The document examines how international carbon offsets under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint Implementation (JI) have contributed to an oversupply of allowances in the EU Emissions Trading System (EU-ETS) and the Effort Sharing Decision (ESD). It highlights critical failures in 'additionality', noting that many projects would have occurred without offset funding, and points to a lack of sustainability and human rights protections. The author recommends a ban on industrial gas projects, large-scale power projects, and JI track 1 projects for the 2013-2020 period.

The statement by Friends of the Earth International warns that treating nature and forests as financial assets leads to environmental destruction and social injustice. It specifically critiques the promotion of industrial tree plantations as carbon sinks, arguing that they lack the biodiversity of native forests and cause community displacement and human rights violations.