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The document discusses financing as a primary tool for green economy transitions, utilizing grants, loans, and public-private partnerships. It highlights Costa Rica's Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) and the PSA Solidario program as successful models for reducing deforestation and creating green jobs through fuel and water taxes and international agreements. For Manitoba, the text identifies the primary challenge as limited government budget capacity, suggesting recycled revenues, fossil fuel subsidy reform, and public-private partnerships as potential solutions.

Landfills are the third largest source of anthropogenic methane in the United States, contributing 17.7 percent of all U.S. methane emissions. The EPA regulates large municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills and manages the voluntary Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) to encourage the capture of landfill gas (LFG) for energy production. While projects in landfills with existing capture systems are generally profitable, those requiring new systems may face net losses unless they leverage tax credits, carbon credits, or on-site electricity use. LFG projects can produce electricity, heat, or vehicle fuels, providing both climate benefits and local employment.

The report evaluates three water storage options for Manitoba to address flooding and eutrophication. Using benefits transfer and expert analysis, it finds that back-flooded dams offer the highest cost-benefit ratio (371%) due to low capital costs and significant ecological benefits, followed by re-graded ditches (194%) and filter fields and ponds (128%).

Landfills are the third largest source of anthropogenic methane in the U.S., contributing 17.7 percent of all U.S. methane emissions. The EPA regulates large municipal solid waste landfills through the Clean Air Act and RCRA, while the voluntary Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) facilitates the development of energy projects. As of October 2012, 605 operational energy projects exist across 48 states, producing 15 billion kWh of electricity and 100 billion cubic feet of gas for direct use annually. The economic viability of these projects depends heavily on whether capture systems are already in place; for example, a 3 MW turbine project with an existing system can yield a net return of $590,000 over 15 years, whereas one without a system may lose $3.5 million without additional tax credits or carbon offsets.

The author contends that hydropower projects in Sikkim, such as Teesta III and Teesta VI, are not 'additional' because hydropower is common practice in India's North East, meaning they do not actually reduce emissions. The text alleges that developers misled the UNFCCC and bypassed mandatory stakeholder consultations regarding CDM credits. Furthermore, it highlights the failure to recognize Lepcha peoples' land rights and the absence of holistic impact assessments in Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs), leading to landslides and house destruction. The document concludes that the CDM's verification process is weak and calls for the immediate revocation of all big hydro CDM registrations in the region.

The document argues that the New Market Mechanism (NMM) and the Framework for Various Approaches (FVA) require a binding international governance structure to prevent double counting and ensure net atmospheric benefits. It identifies three types of double counting—unit type, double claiming, and overlapping mitigation/financial contributions—and calls for a common international transaction tracking mechanism. The author emphasizes that credits must be tied to the upholding of international human rights law and sustainable development indicators to avoid the failures observed under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).

Carbon Market Watch argues that the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is facing a market collapse due to low demand and an over-supply of non-additional carbon credits. The organization urges a fundamental reform of additionality requirements, the shortening of crediting periods, and the establishment of human rights standards and grievance mechanisms. It further recommends strengthening civil society participation, addressing conflicts of interest among Designated Operational Entities (DOEs), and improving the governance and codes of conduct of the CDM Executive Board.

Carbon Market Watch criticizes the development of New Market Mechanisms (NMM) and the Framework for Various Approaches (FVA) following COP-17 and COP-18. The author argues that these initiatives risk increasing the supply of low-quality carbon credits in a market already severely oversupplied, where offset prices are below 0.20 EURO. The document highlights a conflict between countries seeking 'flexible' rules (such as Japan, the US, and New Zealand) and those advocating for stringent, CDM-like oversight (such as the EU) to ensure environmental integrity and avoid double counting.

The report assesses Thailand's renewable energy incentives, highlighting the success of the ENCON fund and the 'adder' (feed-in premium) scheme, while identifying persistent barriers such as transmission constraints and high import duties on technology.

Anglo American used the Corporate Ecosystem Services Review (ESR) for its greenfield Jacaré nickel project in São Félix do Xingú, Pará. The process identified critical dependencies on the São Sebastião River for water and the potential for replacing coal with wood biomass for energy. Key risks include water scarcity driven by climate change and regional economic growth, as well as legal uncertainties regarding land tenure for reforestation. Opportunities include reducing operational costs and carbon footprints through biomass, and improving community relations by investing in local sanitation and reforestation.

China transitioned from being 'slow off the mark' in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) to dominating the market by employing a coordinated capacity-building strategy and strong governmental oversight. Central to this success was the appointment of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) as the Designated National Authority (DNA), ensuring that climate policy was managed by a powerful 'heavy-hitting' ministry rather than a less influential environment ministry. China implemented unique restrictions to protect its interests, including a floor price for Certified Emission Reductions (CERs), revenue levies ranging from 2% to 65% to fund the state-controlled CDM Fund, and requirements for Chinese control of project entities. These experiences have served as a foundation for China's transition toward a domestic emissions trading system, with pilot programs in cities like Beijing and Shanghai starting in early 2013 and a nationwide goal for 2015. Furthermore, China integrated carbon intensity reduction goals into its national 5-year plans, linking the performance of local officials to the achievement of these environmental targets.

Coal mining accounts for 8 percent of global methane emissions. While significant potential exists for abatement through degasification and ventilation air methane (VAM) oxidation, progress is hindered by policy, financial, and technological barriers. In China, legal frameworks and conflicting safety/emission standards create hurdles, while India lacks resource assessments. Russia faces issues with licensing and inefficient degasification systems. In the US, split-estate ownership on federal lands and a lack of federal mandates limit viability. The report suggests that while large-scale investment is available, a lack of small-scale funding for design and demonstration is a primary obstacle, proposing revolving funds and micro-loans as solutions.

The document argues that local stakeholder consultations for Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects in India and Mexico are frequently inadequate or falsified due to a lack of clear guidelines and oversight. In India, project proponents often omit meeting details from public notices, provide documents in English that are inaccessible to impoverished villagers, and produce reports that omit unfavorable comments. The author provides case studies from Gujarat involving a solar project and a biogas project to illustrate how villagers were excluded or ignored. To improve transparency and sustainable development, the document recommends mandatory videography of consultations, publishing notices in local languages and multiple newspapers, and ensuring the public is informed about their 2% share of carbon credit sales.

The Philippines Climate Change Act of 2009 established a centralized governance structure led by the Climate Change Commission to integrate climate resilience across government sectors and local government units (LGUs). While the Act provides a roadmap through the National Framework Strategy on Climate Change (2010) and the National Climate Change Action Plan (2011), its success depends on national coordination, financial support for LGUs, and the alignment of other government policies—such as mining and energy—which currently conflict with climate mitigation and ecosystem protection goals.

The document argues that effective private sector engagement is critical for scaling up REDD+ investment. It identifies diverse motivations for involvement—ranging from corporate social responsibility to monetary returns—and highlights that private actors can operate across multiple roles, including project development, carbon credit retailing, and technical expertise. Key barriers to investment include a lack of policy certainty, unclear land tenure and carbon ownership, and insufficient demand in voluntary carbon markets. The report recommends that governments create clear national legislation, integrate REDD+ into sectoral planning, and adopt nested crediting frameworks to allow direct performance-based payments to the private sector while maintaining environmental integrity.

The document analyzes the REDD+ supply chain, identifying key private sector roles including investors, producers, brokers, advisors, auditors, and end-buyers. It highlights that while some pioneering investment funds and multinational firms are engaging through voluntary markets and CSR initiatives, significant barriers remain, specifically a lack of policy certainty and unresolved land tenure and carbon ownership issues. The brief argues that scaling up private investment requires a shift toward compliance carbon markets, the implementation of nested crediting frameworks for direct performance-based payments, and the integration of deforestation-driving industries, such as extractive sectors, into the REDD+ dialogue.

The report analyzes the private sector's role in the REDD+ supply chain, identifying key players as investors, producers, brokers, advisors, auditors, and end-buyers. It highlights critical barriers such as policy uncertainty, land tenure disputes, and the need for robust social and environmental safeguards. The document proposes strategies to scale up private investment, including the integration of REDD+ into compliance carbon markets, the adoption of nested crediting frameworks, and the inclusion of extractive industries in conservation dialogues.

The authors introduce a method for evaluating Sustainable Development – Policies and Measures (SD-PAMs), which are policy instruments designed to achieve sustainable development with climate benefits as side effects. The proposed approach involves reconstructing intervention theories to identify leverage mechanisms and implementation assumptions, while using value chains to determine the targeted aspects of socio-technical systems. The text notes that SD-PAMs incentivized by carbon credits require an institutional framework that is too intricate to be effective compared to those focused on funding or technology transfer.

The Prosol program (2005-2010) successfully scaled the deployment of solar water heaters in Tunisia by combining capital subsidies, concessional credit, and a unique risk-mitigation framework. By leveraging the state utility STEG as a debt collector and guarantor, the program reduced credit risk for commercial banks, leading to a 1:5 public-to-private investment ratio. The initiative not only increased installed capacity fivefold but also generated significant fiscal returns for the Tunisian government by reducing expenditures on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) subsidies.

Carbon Market Watch criticizes the proposed revisions to the CDM coal crediting methodology (ACM0013), stating that they do not sufficiently address technical flaws such as data quality and project emissions. The organization warns that 45 coal projects in the pipeline, primarily in India and China, risk locking in over 400 million tCO2 in annual emissions, which contradicts the 2°C warming objective. It specifically highlights that six already registered projects will bypass the new rules and could generate 89 million credits based on a flawed methodology.