Search Climate Insights Directory

The document is an open letter signed by 87 civil society networks and organisations from 33 countries. It calls on UNFCCC delegates at COP-19 to ensure ambitious mitigation commitments to maintain a temperature limit of 2°C and to prevent carbon market mechanisms from weakening these goals. Specifically, the signatories demand the rejection of a pilot phase for trading carbon market units under the Framework for Various Approaches (FVA), the establishment of an international accounting framework to prevent double counting, and the exclusion of non-additional project types, such as large power projects and coal power, from the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint Implementation (JI). The letter also advocates for the cessation of fossil fuel subsidies and the implementation of human rights safeguards for projects under the CDM, Green Climate Fund, and Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs).

The document is an open letter addressed to COP19 participants, arguing that carbon markets must not be allowed to undermine national climate commitments. It calls for clear, ambitious targets to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius, the end of the first commitment period for carbon trading under the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) to avoid emissions leakage after 2020, and the establishment of an international accounting system to prevent double counting. Additionally, it advocates for the exclusion of flexible mechanisms like the CDM and large-scale projects from climate pledges, the removal of coal from the Clean Development Mechanism, and the protection of human rights when integrating the Green Climate Fund into carbon markets.

The policy brief warns that the EU's 2030 Climate Framework must account for the poor performance of existing international carbon markets, such as the CDM and JI, to avoid undermining climate targets through low-quality offsets and price instability.

The document examines how international offset mechanisms, which typically provide no net atmospheric benefit, could be designed to deliver a net decrease in greenhouse gas emissions. It identifies the need for certain additionality, surplus reductions, the avoidance of double counting, and the exclusion of surplus reductions from host country pledges to achieve a net atmospheric benefit.

The report analyzes 11 CDM projects across five Indian states, concluding that sustainable development through these projects is largely a 'myth'. It finds severe discrepancies between PDD promises and actual impacts, noting that industrial projects often use CER revenue to expand production, leading to increased pollution. Most projects failed to provide promised local employment, healthcare, or education, and some caused significant harm through illegal land acquisition and environmental degradation. Only the Muni Seva Ashram solar community kitchen project was identified as successfully contributing to social, economic, environmental, and technological well-being.

The report highlights that kerosene lamps emit significantly more black carbon than previously estimated, contributing to global warming and severe health risks. It argues that replacing these lamps with solar LED and other off-grid alternatives is a cost-effective climate mitigation strategy with substantial co-benefits. While many initiatives already exist, the report suggests the CCAC could add value by raising high-level awareness, promoting quality standards, and supporting finance for SMEs and consumers, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

The report documents systemic failures in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) across seven projects in five countries. It highlights consistent patterns of inadequate stakeholder consultation, violations of indigenous rights, and environmental degradation. Specific examples include coal power plants in India causing pollution and displacement, hydroelectric projects in Panama, Honduras, and Guatemala ignoring indigenous consent and destroying ecosystems, and a waste incinerator in China causing local pollution. The document argues that CDM safeguards are insufficient to protect local populations and ensure genuine sustainable development.

Carbon Market Watch argues that international carbon offsets have failed to deliver promised climate benefits and have undermined the EU's domestic abatement efforts. The brief recommends a legally binding EU domestic GHG reduction target of at least 55% below 1990 levels for 2030, the total elimination of international offsets for meeting mitigation obligations post-2020, and the implementation of safeguards when linking the EU ETS to other trading schemes. It further suggests that climate finance should shift away from carbon markets toward regulation, standards, and incentive programs, such as performance-based financing for Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs).

Carbon Market Watch asserts that the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) undermines climate goals by allowing new coal power plants to earn emissions credits for efficiency improvements. The organization argues that these projects are not 'additional' because efficiency is driven by fuel cost minimization, not CDM support, leading to a net increase in global greenhouse gas emissions. The paper highlights the severe human and ecological costs of coal, citing high mortality rates in India and China, and calls for the UNFCCC to follow the lead of the Norwegian and British governments by ending CDM support for coal and other large-scale power projects.

A group of international organisations is calling on EDF Trading to clarify its relationship with CDM project 2716 ("Grid connected energy efficient power generation") in India. While the company issued a correction in Enerpresse stating it is no longer contractually associated with the supercritical coal plant project and has never purchased its credits, the signatories note that this information is missing from the company's website. The letter highlights concerns over the project's compliance with national legislation and sustainable development criteria, as well as impacts on local communities, and asks for details on when and how EDF Trading ended its involvement.

A coalition of organizations requests transparency regarding EDF Trading's involvement in CDM project 2716 and calls for the project's approval to be withdrawn. The letter cites a Ministry of Environment and Forest report indicating that the project fails to meet sustainable development criteria, harms local fishing and pastoralist communities, and causes significant air pollution. Additionally, the authors argue that the project lacks additionality and relies on a flawed crediting methodology that was suspended in 2011.

A group of international organisations has written to EDF Trading to seek clarification and public disclosure regarding the company's involvement in CDM project 2716, a supercritical coal power plant in Mundra, India. The letter references a statement in Enerpresse claiming EDF Trading is no longer contractually associated with the project, while noting that 25 Indian NGOs have called for the project's approval to be withdrawn due to non-compliance with national legislation and sustainable development criteria.

A coalition of organizations requests that the French government provide transparency regarding EDF Trading's involvement in and subsequently withdraw its approval for CDM project 2716, a coal-fired power plant in Mundra, India. The authors argue the project fails sustainable development criteria due to environmental damage, lack of community consultation, and flawed carbon crediting methodologies.

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 document examines the negotiations surrounding the Framework for Various Approaches (FVA) ahead of COP-19, highlighting the tension between parties seeking minimal guidance and those calling for centralized oversight. It argues that for carbon markets to support a new climate deal, they must be predicated on ambitious mitigation targets, strict environmental integrity, and the prevention of double counting. The author specifically warns that a proposed FVA pilot phase, advocated by Poland, could set a dangerous precedent by allowing early action units to be recognized in a post-2020 regime before fundamental accounting rules are established.

A group of organizations is calling for the withdrawal of CDM project approval for Adani Power's thermal power plant in Gujarat, India. They cite a 2013 MoEF inspection report that found non-compliance with environmental regulations, specifically regarding fugitive emissions and reporting failures, arguing that the project no longer meets sustainable development criteria.

Carbon Market Watch notes that while the CDM Executive Board approved a voluntary tool for describing sustainable development co-benefits in November 2012, there has been no public confirmation as to whether the tool is operational or available for use by project participants in 2013.

A coalition of organizations urges the UN Special Rapporteur to recommend that the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) integrate human rights protections into its governing policies. The request is driven by documented abuses associated with the Barro Blanco hydroelectric dam in Panama and other CDM projects in Honduras and India. The authors propose four specific reforms: establishing international safeguards, strengthening stakeholder consultation, creating a project de-registration process for human rights violations, and implementing a grievance mechanism for affected communities.

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) proposes a four-phase Results Management Framework (RMF) consisting of result area definition, target setting, implementation and monitoring, and evaluation and learning. The framework emphasizes a 'continuously learning institution' approach, balancing standardized core performance indicators with flexibility for country-driven priorities. For mitigation, the GCF suggests using carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-eq) as a primary metric, while adaptation requires sector-specific measures due to the lack of a unitary quantifiable measure of vulnerability. The document recommends annual reporting and a combination of funding pilot activities and utilizing the experience of other entities to set initial targets. Key performance criteria beyond core indicators include the potential for a paradigm shift, development co-benefits, and cost-effectiveness.

The document is a letter from Bikash Rath of the Regional Centre for Development Cooperation to World Bank President Dr. Jim Yong Kim. It demands the withdrawal of International Finance Corporation (IFC) funding from the Tata Mundra - Coastal Gujarat Power Ltd. (CGPL) 4000 MW coal power project in Gujarat, India. The author alleges that the project has caused massive social and environmental damage, including the depletion of groundwater, destruction of mangroves, and severe health impacts on local communities, while failing to conduct proper impact assessments or consult affected fishing and pastoralist groups.